Express manufacturing of special tools

Custom tools are often the key to stable and efficient manufacturing processes. If one is needed on short notice - for example, for prototypes, initial samples, or to fill urgent production gaps - a critical bottleneck can quickly arise. This is exactly where SIMTEK, the Mössingen-based specialist in precision tools, steps in with its priotool service, which has been firmly established for years.

The term priotool refers to an in-house, digitally controlled “express process” that makes customer-specific tools available significantly faster than with conventional manufacturing and delivery times - without compromising on quality or precision. “Delivery time is a decisive factor in the balance between price, quality, and time - and it’s a key metric by which we measure our performance,” emphasizes Evstratios Ountzidis, VP Sales & Marketing at SIMTEK AG and Authorized Signatory at SIMTEK Präzisionswerkzeuge GmbH. “With priotool, we offer our customers predictable express manufacturing of tools that they urgently need in certain situations.”

Shorter delivery times through a prioritised supply chain
Even under normal circumstances, customised tools at SIMTEK take only a few weeks from order approval to delivery. Design, purchasing, manufacturing, coating, final inspection, and logistics are closely interlinked. With priotool, this process is further accelerated significantly. All process steps are automatically prioritised by the ERP system and assigned to the earliest available capacity. The result is a significantly reduced lead time - in some cases, just a few days from order approval to finished product, depending on the type of product. “Our priotool system reliably calculates the fastest possible delivery time fully automatically based on numerous parameters and assigns the tool to an express path through our in-house value chain,” explains Evstratios Ountsidis, who jointly developed and implemented this conceptual digital approach at SIMTEK. “The process chain - from design through manufacturing to coating - is digitally simulated and synchronized in time. This reduces the need for manual coordination and speeds up every single step.”

Even the customer can tell right away when an express tool arrives: The prioritised tools are delivered in the distinctive red priotool bag, so that they can be immediately identified as urgent tools upon arrival at the customer’s receiving department and can be assigned to the appropriate production unit.

Fully digitised and paperless manufacturing concept
A key feature of the system is SIMTEK’s digitalisation, which has evolved over decades. Today, all relevant steps - from the initial inquiry through design to delivery - are basically paperless. SIMTEK experts in sales and design evaluate the suitability of priotool projects. The ERP system then takes over several key functions, such as digital prioritisation, creating scheduling plans, and directly sharing information with all involved departments. The priotool processes are also automatically fed into the in-house coating process and are prioritised there as well. “It’s important that the ERP actively manages priotool processes. And if purchased parts or external coating services are needed, the priotool system knows how to handle that as well,” says Ountzidis, speaking from his many years of experience. However, in all cases that can be fully managed in-house, production is accelerated to the maximum - particularly when using in-house cutting grades from the GRADIUM family for coating.”

Useable for almost all types of tools
SIMTEK offers the priotool system for nearly all of its tooling systems. This is a major advantage over comparable offerings on the market, where only certain tooling systems can be delivered through accelerated production. Furthermore, according to SIMTEK, the system is based on a high level of in-house manufacturing capability that the company has deliberately built up, ranging from grinding and coating to final inspection. “Year after year, we develop around 10,000 new custom tool designs for our customers - flexibility, speed, and a high degree of in-house manufacturing are crucial here. With very few exceptions, almost every one of these new custom tool designs can be made available very quickly using priotool,” explains Ountzidis. “This creates tremendous added value for our customers in a wide variety of situations.”

Even new processes, such as the 3D-lasered chip-forming geometries offered by SIMTEK, can be easily integrated into internal priotool workflows. “With the introduction of this hybrid manufacturing process - combining a precision-ground carbide cutting edge with 3D-lasered chip-forming geometries - we of course also considered the possibility of express delivery of these tools via priotool. Especially in situations where an established manufacturing process on the customer’s side causes challenges - for example, due to a sudden loss of process reliability - quick and effective solutions are needed,” explains Ountzidis.

With these hybrid tools, SIMTEK offers a wide range of additional options that, in close collaboration with customers, can be used to specifically influence chip control, machining conditions, and - last but not least - process quality and reliability. “The demand for our tools with 3D-lasered chip-forming geometries has risen significantly in recent years. And we at SIMTEK are proud that we can offer these tools in a wide range of varieties and types, also in the priotool high-speed line. We deliver high performance here in both machining and the process,” says Ountzidis.

Speed through a well-thought-out system
However, priotool is not a bypass mode that slows down regular tool production at the precision tool manufacturer. The system integrates perfectly into regular production, and the two production paths do not interfere with each other thanks to clearly defined process sequences. “Every priotool tool ordered should be reliably completed and delivered within the promised lead time,” Ountzidis explains the approach. “That’s why the priotool express line has specially allocated capacity and resources at its disposal.” Using digital capacity management, the ERP system identifies potential bottlenecks early on and prevents overbooking of machines or coating lines.

Typical use cases: from prototypes to emergency deliveries
Just how strong the demand is can be seen in practice: Even today, numerous processes are already being handled daily through the priotool system - and the trend is upward. Customers particularly often use the express manufacturing service for prototype production when very small quantities are needed on short notice to test new components. Special tools are also frequently ordered on an express basis for initial samples or pre-production runs, where a tool is needed quickly before series production begins. Even when scheduling errors occur on the customer’s end - for example, if a tool was simply forgotten or ordered incorrectly - SIMTEK’s express service is called upon. “There are many reasons why a tool might be needed on an accelerated timeline,” explains Ountzidis. “With our priotool service, we offer a defined and reliable process that, in the best-case scenario, can reduce delivery times to a fraction of what they would otherwise be, thereby providing our customers with a real solution to their problems.”