How the Oncilla removes finishing steps for solid carbide tool production efficiency

Solid carbide tools arrive at the finishing department carrying real value and real risk. Grinding is done. Coating is next. Between the two often sits a sequence of manual handling steps that can undo weeks of precision in seconds.

Every hand-off is a chance to chip an edge, contaminate a surface, or lose consistency between batches. For tools this expensive, that is an unacceptable cost of doing business.

The Vapormatt Oncilla removes the sequence entirely. One automated wet blasting machine takes tools from the pallet, cleans them, hones the cutting edge, and prepares the surface for PVD coating, then returns them to the pallet. No part-by-part loading. No second cleaning step. No chipped edges.

The results are measurable:
- Edge radii from 2 to 30 micrometres, held to plus or minus 3 micrometres
- Patented K-factor control across the full cutting edge geometry, not just the radius
- HF-1 adhesion under the Rockwell coating standard, achieved as standard
- Over 2,000 tools processed every 24 hours
- Mixed batches of drills, end mills, taps and thread mills in a single cycle

This is more than 40 years of wet blasting engineering applied to one of the most demanding jobs in tool manufacturing. We brought wet blasting to the world, and we built the Oncilla to prove what that heritage still delivers today.

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