Microconic Eliminates Collet Damage & Saves OVER $533 a Day!

The Chip Wrap Nightmare!
Superior Machined Products has decades of experience manufacturing implants, abutments, Multi fluted twist and spade drills, bone screws, analogs fixture mounts, all types of drivers and surgical tools

Superior brought in Masa Tool's Microconic F25M10 Cartridge and collets for use in sub spindle pickoff in producing dental implants.

Chip wrap on dental implant

According to Juan Maravilla at Superior Machined Products Before the Microconic System was installed 

​"An experienced machinist would bore a TF25 sub spindle soft emergency collet  in the machine in order to achieve good concentricity.  5% of the parts would experience chip wrap around the chucking area of the implant."
 

​"Every time the collet would chuck on the parts with chip wrap, it would leave an impression in the collet.  Sometimes the chip would stay lodged in that impression and the parts run from that point on are scrapped due to the chip impressions on the part and once noticed, the collet would need to be replaced."

Typically the collet would need to be replaced or re-bored after 10-20 parts because of the chip wrap: Either the collet would no longer be concentric or the chip impressions on the part would be unacceptable.   
 
"Operators would need to watch machine very closely not allowing the operation of other machines. The quality of the finished product was compromised due to the progressively worsening runout between collet changes and marks on the parts were often questionable at best.

​After installing the Microconic System discovered some immediate time savings on the Initial setup: There was no longer a need to bore the soft emergency collet.  The Microconic Standard Collet was ordered to the exact size required.  The F25M10 cartridge and collet was easy to install and ran within .0002" TIR.

Damage to competitors collet

Now, even though the chip wrap still exits on 5% of the parts, the Microconic collet is not affected by the chip wrap and never embeds a chip into the collet.

The holding power of the Microconic system is much greater with the force directly over the holding area, and using less pressure.  This equates to little or no visible marks on the part.  

​According to Maravilla "The quantity of parts run without any signs of wear is at 10,000 and still running!"  He adds that the "Operator is now free to run other machines and the shop lead  is now freed up to work on other problem areas."  Installing the Micorconic has lead to some substantial cost savings on a daily basis.

BEFORE MICROCONIC IMPLEMENTATION
> Replace TF25 collet every 400 pcs = $66 ea emergency collet  ($33 per day)
> Rebore emergency collet every 200 pcs = 1.5 hrs each time @ $50 per hr ($150 per day)
> Machine down time & lost time from scrap per day @ $100 per hr  ($350 per day)
​

AFTER MICROCONIC IMPLEMENTATION
​> Operator is now free to run other machines.
> Shop lead person freed up to work on other problem areas in the shop
 
Summary:
Cost savings per day:  $533 (based on a 20 hr day)
Machine OEE increased from 75% to 92%