One way for a manufacturer to reduce tooling costs is to resharpen worn twist drills in-house using a Darex XT-3000 from 1st Machine Tool Accessories.
The electrically-powered, bench-top machine from the USA, available in manual and semi-automatic versions, can easily pay for itself in a few months through fewer discarded drills and by eliminating subcontract sharpening costs.
The most recently introduced model, XT-3000 Auto, bridges the gap between a manually operated machine and a fully automated CNC sharpening system. It allows a user simply to align a standard high speed steel or solid carbide drill, push the start button and step away. A high level of repeatability is achieved, whatever the skill level of the operator, and an LCD screen displays all relevant information.
Both the manual and semi-automatic sharpening systems regrind drill bits in a three-step process. Many types of right- and left-hand twist drills can be sharpened for machining metals and non-metallic materials. Adapters are available for step drills, countersinks, brad points and 90-degree points. Drills in the diameter range 3 to 21 mm can be processed, although bits up to 30 mm can be sharpened if an adapter is used.
