A Deeper Dive into Smart Damper Technology

If you’ve ever poked around the BIG DAISHOWA website, chances are you’ve seen some information about Smart Damper milling and Smart Damper boring tools. We can’t stop talking about them, mostly because the real-world results are so good that once our customers adopt this technology, there’s no turning back. But there’s another reason for the buzz around Smart Damper’s vibration mitigation: As manufacturers strive to create larger, more complex workpieces in fewer setups (all while tolerances get tighter and materials get harder to machine), longer-reach tooling is necessary, and with it comes vibration and chatter.  

In competitive industries like automotive, mold and die, aerospace and industrial equipment manufacturing, manufacturers face a multi-faceted reality:

• The drive for efficiency means more operations in single-setup jobs. Large, cutting-edge five-axis milling machines are capable of this, but even the best tech can’t fix vibration induced by dreaded tooling overhang.
• Modern quality standards in high-stakes industries like aerospace leave no room for vibration-induced errors. Add to that increasingly hard-to-machine materials and vibration becomes an even bigger issue.
• As more experienced metalworkers retire, the skills gap is growing, so manufacturers must find ways to simplify machining and tooling technologies (even in the face of more complex workpieces) to lessen the learning curve for newer, less-experienced operators.
   

It’s a perfect storm that calls for new tool holding strategies.

Traditional Vibration-damping Tooling Can’t Always Cut It

Vibration isn’t just a minor inconvenience—it's a productivity killer that can derail profitability and machining capacity. The math is unforgiving: anything more than a 5:1 length-to-diameter ratio and you risk poor surface finishes, dimensional inaccuracies and premature tool wear. It’s a struggle that endures, and not for lack of trying to solve it. Traditional vibration-damping approaches include:
 

Carbide Boring Bars

Stiffer than steel alternatives, solid carbide boring bars can offer improved rigidity for long-reach applications, but their vibration-damping capabilities only go so far.

Reduced Cutting Parameters

The longer the reach, the lower the cutting variables may need to be to maintain stability. But it’s a hard choice to make when shops need faster cycle times and quality output to be competitive.

Shorter Tooling Setups

When all else fails, shops may be forced to reduce the length of their tools. But this can make the previously mentioned single-setup jobs impossible, lengthening manufacturing time and increasing the risk of error with each setup.

The Smart Damper Difference

BIG DAISHOWA's Smart Damper takes a fundamentally different approach to vibration control, so users don’t have to just accept the limitations of long-reach machining. Here’s how it works:

• Smart Damper milling and Smart Damper boring tools have a heavyweight, strengthened damping mechanism integrated into the tool holder that functions as both a dynamic counter and friction damper
• Smart Damper is specifically designed to shorten the distance from the damping mechanism to the cutting edge (the source of vibration)
• The mechanism instantaneously absorbs vibration and eliminates chatter, all for better accuracy, surface finishes and metal removal rates
• Coolant-through designs deliver coolant directly to the cutting edge

A History of Innovation

While Smart Damper technology isn’t new (it was released in 2012), we’ve seen renewed interest in the technology in recent years, and we continue to offer expansions for wider applications.

Smart Damper was initially developed for boring; soon after, we expanded the lineup to include applications for turning and milling. More recently, the Smart Damper lineup expanded to cover new sizes—including the smallest boring heads in the collection and the largest, longest Smart Damper milling holders

Part of the long-term success of Smart Damper is its total simplicity. Unlike other vibration control solutions that require extensive setup, calibration or operator expertise, Smart Damper works right out of the box. This instant gratification means manufacturers get hooked quickly and realize benefits immediately, regardless of their team's experience level.

And while tool holders with built-in vibration damping can be pricier than traditional tools, Smart Damper usually offers a cost advantage when compared to competitive products. What’s more, the long-term cost savings (thanks to better cycle times and better cutting performance) pay for themselves.
 

Real-world Smart Damper Applications

We know Smart Damper reduces vibration in long-reach machining. But what are some of the specific applications? Let’s explore.

Overcoming Heavy Equipment Manufacturing Challenges

BIG DAISHOWA sales engineer Richard Bevers saw firsthand how Smart Damper technology transformed operations at a major construction OEM’s facilities. The application involved the manufacturing of pin bores for construction equipment bucket arms. These critical features have to be perfect because they must enable a snug, but quick-change fit for bucket attachments. Compounding the challenges is the fact that the bore has to go through two pieces of structural steel welded together; the pieces must be line bored, meaning operators can’t bore through one side and then turn the part and bore through the other. This means that the tool must be extra long, but also extra stable. Smart Damper answered that call and has been a game-changer for this challenging machining process.
 

Winning the Race for Productive Engine Block Boring

The demanding world of race engine manufacturing has embraced Smart Damper technology for its most critical applications.

Bevers notes that because these applications require boring through entire engine blocks lengthwise, with diameters of just two inches or less and much longer lengths, vibration can be a real problem. But total stability is non-negotiable, so manufacturers must keep cutting parameters low and sacrifice cycle times.

Smart Damper technology not only eliminates vibration-induced variations that would otherwise require extensive secondary honing operations, but also allows operators to bump up speeds and feeds for more manageable cycle times.

Other Promising Smart Damper Applications

When it comes to other Smart Damper applications, the possibilities are nearly endless. Particularly, shops or OEMs who manufacture components and equipment for oil and gas, power generation, mining, agriculture, aerospace and automotive will surely find ways that Smart Damper can improve performance in their long-reach boring and milling jobs.  
 

Worthy Investment

Advanced vibration-damping tool holders always come with an added upfront investment. But for shops and OEMs dealing with costly vibration issues, the ROI becomes clear from the very first run:

• Reduced scrap rates: By eliminating vibration-induced quality issues, Smart Damper technology reduces the risk of scrapping workpieces (which, in the aforementioned industries, tend to be very expensive)
• Shorter cycle times: Without the need to reduce cutting parameters, jobs go faster, increasing a facility's capacity and significantly improving productivity; not to mention the time savings that come with reduced troubleshooting around vibration issues.
• Improved tool life: Reduced vibration thanks to Smart Damper means tools last longer for lower consumables costs.

Best of all? BIG DAISHOWA guarantees performance with risk-free trials, so new Smart Damper users can feel confident testing out the technology. If, after 30 days, you don’t see game-changing results, just send it back. From our experience, the results speak for themselves: almost everyone who tries Smart Damper becomes a loyal long-term adopter.

What are your long-reach or other vibration-prone machining operations? Talk to a BIG DAISHOWA expert today to learn how Smart Damper can help.