High Quality Tool Holders Only for Omega Tool, Inc.

Omega Tool, Inc. is an extremely high precision, plastic injection mold builder, established in 1954 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. They design and manufacture small to medium sized plastic injection molds primarily for the medical, packaging and light industrial industries.

The Problem: Low Quality Tool Holders

Like any other company, Omega Tool, Inc. tried to lower upfront costs by investing in lower quality shrink fit tool holders in order to maintain competitive pricing against its competitors. However, they quickly learned saving money at first does not mean they will continue to save over the long run. “The other brands all tend to have a life expectancy, especially with the smaller diameters,” Randy Lee Meissner, Vice President of Operations at Omega Tool, Inc., explains. “Too many times I’ve had tooling that wouldn’t release from the shrink fit tool holder. I attribute this to the competitors using inferior steel and looser tolerances.”

The shrink fit system Omega Tool, Inc. was using before involved submerging the heated tool holder in a bucket of coolant. This was also contributing to the shorter tool holder life because the coolant shocks the system and it is very messy.

The Solution: Part One - The HAIMER Power Clamp Special Edition

When Omega Tool, Inc. decided it was time to invest in another tool holder and shrink fit system, they didn’t have to look far. “I have known of HAIMER tooling for quite some time,” Randy describes. “The reason for switching was simple…quality! There isn’t a tool holder on the market that has the consistent repeatability of a HAIMER tool holder.” The Omega Tool, Inc. team decided to purchase two HAIMER Power Clamp Special Edition shrink fit machines.

After using the HAIMER Power Clamp Special Edition for a while, Omega Tool, Inc. started to notice how consistent the machine can set up tools, which is a unique benefit of the HAIMER shrink fit system. Regardless of the operator and their experience level, Omega Tool, Inc. received repeatable uniformity in tooling setup and equally consistent results. HAIMER guarantees < 3μm run-out at 3xD and this degree of accuracy is consistently repeatable for any number of operators from shift to shift. “The cooling time, the heating time…it is all so consistent,” states Randy. “We consider the HAIMER Power Clamp Special Edition such a workhorse because it has never broken.” 

The Solution: Part Two - The HAIMER Shrink Fit Tool Holders

In addition to acquiring the HAIMER Power Clamp Special Edition shrink fit machine, Omega Tool, Inc. purchased HSK-E40, HSK-63A, CAT40 and CAT50 HAIMER shrink fit tool holders to be used for ultra-precision machining. It wasn’t long before the Omega Tool, Inc. team noticed the HAIMER difference. “The difference between a HAIMER heat shrink and its competitors is night and day in regards to part size accuracy, surface finish, and tool life,” states one 5-Axis Programmer at Omega Tool, Inc. “It’s not even worth considering an alternative for most hard milling applications.”

HAIMER shrink fit tool holders make processes throughout production significantly easier in regards to tool runout, reach and clamping force. “The main reason we use heat shrink is it significantly reduces runout and increased rigidity,” another 5-Axis Programmer at Omega Tool, Inc. explains. “With coolant through drilling applications, this means near complete confidence that runout is eliminated when using a HAIMER heat shrink. Milling is even better, since runout is under .0001”, tools cut naturally, allowing for more aggressive HEM, higher SFM, consistent tool wear, with superior surface finish.” Uniform pressure on the cutting edges in the HAIMER shrink fit tool holders leads to, among other things, better dimensional accuracy, surface finish, smoothness and tool life and Omega Tool, Inc. experienced that firsthand. “With the HAIMER tool holders, I can in certain situations not polish the mold if it lends itself,” Randy describes. “I can actually mold right off of the finish with the HAIMER tooling.”

HAIMER tool holder’s slim profiles are another great feature that Omega Tool, Inc. benefits from on a regular basis. “Certain features in plastic molding application, especially gates, would be extremely impractical to cut without the use of the slim HAIMER holders,” an operator at Omega Tool, Inc. explains. “They allow the holder to get much closer to the feature, and as a consequence, result in significantly less tool stick out.”

HAIMER uses special raw materials, according to its own standard for the tool holders, and this is 100% checked by detailed spectral analysis. The material offers high strength, high toughness and is perfect for the requirements of shrinking technology – so that you can shrink in and out with repeatable accuracy as often as you like. “I tried to make the HAIMER tool holders fail,” Randy states. “I overcooked them, triple cooked them just to see if I could make them fail and I couldn’t.”

Perfection and Quality Always Wins

At Omega Tool, Inc., being average is never an option. “Our whole shop is focused around being perfect in everything we do,” explains Randy. “The look here is as important as the product we produce and HAIMER tooling is a crucial component to make things perfect.” The company depends on the HAIMER quality in order to achieve the high standards they set for themselves.

Now when someone at Omega Tool, Inc. needs additional tooling, he simply sends Randy the HAIMER part number. “There is no comparison to what we were using to the HAIMER product,” describes Randy. “Whenever someone asks about our tooling, at a trade show or at work, I always lead with HAIMER.”

Previously Featured on Haimer's blog.