Sheffield based supplier of Solid Carbide, Brazed & Indexable Special Tooling, AA Tools provide specialist tooling solutions to a global client base, spanning a number of industries including Oil & Gas, Aerospace and Medical.
Experiencing continued growth since the company’s founding in 2014, the last 5 years have seen AA Tools invest in the latest CNC 4th axis Milling capabilities.
In 2020, AA Tools have strengthened their position as a leading manufacturer of bespoke tooling, investing in a new E46LTW Elbo Controlli NIKKEN Presetter and developing their Wire EDM and Fast Spark Hole Drilling capacity, allowing them to support traditional Optical Grinding and Cylindrical Grinding.
Experiencing excessive down time caused by manually reporting tool inspections and accuracy issues from using typical height gauges, callipers and operator experience, AA Tools approached NIKKEN in need of a solution to optimize their machining process.
"We already had NIKKEN products on site and a great working relationship with many members of the NIKKEN team. This trust in our business partnership means we didn’t look at any other options as the service we receive as well as the quality and accuracy of products makes for a perfect business partner for AA Tools." says Chris Birt, Director
NIKKEN proposed the E46LTW Presetter to ensure a higher level of inspection and the ability to produce documentation straight from the machine and supply with tooling when needed.
Since this investment AA Tools have gained a number of benefits. Each operator can now inspect accurate, key data on all tools and record the data straight to the database. Enhanced inspection capability has also reduced scrappage on the Walter Grinder by allowing for far more precise measurement of first off tools.
Additionally, the team can now email well-presented reports straight from the machine to customers as they inspect the product, reducing set up time.
"At AA we strive to produce the highest quality tools so we always choose to purchase best in class in equipment. We partner with NIKKEN for the accuracy, precision and repeatability that NIKKEN products provide." concludes Chris Birt, Director
