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Higher bore precision: The key to the single-pass process is to allow the diamond tooling to follow the existing centerline of the bore to be finished with as little pressure as possible. This is normally done by allowing the tool, part, or both to float. Depending on many other variables, bore geometry to better than 0.2µm (.000008”) is possible. Since all of the diamond tools are set to specific sizes and do not require expansion during each cycle, the single-pass process is able to achieve unsurpassed size control in production (1µm with near perfect repeatability). These results are very predictable and repeatable, thus lend perfectly to Statistical Process Control.
Lower cost: The diamond portion of the tooling wears very slowly in production which allows for tool life to exceed 100,000 parts in many applications. With an average of four single-pass tools used in a set up, the perishable tool cost is usually under $0.01 per finished part. The long life of the tooling also contributes to very little down time due to tool change. Cycle times vary depending upon the particular application, but in general most systems can produce from 120 to 600 pieces per hour. The simple nature of the process eliminates the need for highly skilled operators. In fact, with proper automation one operator could actually oversee multiple systems finishing thousands of parts per hour.
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