Seco, in collaboration with Scania, achieved a remarkable 20-fold increase in tool life, addressing the challenge of working with a new, lighter cast iron for engines. Scania’s innovative cast iron material offered environmental advantages and increased strength but also accelerated tool wear. Seco’s research and development team introduced custom tools, significantly reducing tool replacement frequency, production downtime, and costs. This success is transferable to other manufacturing applications, underlining the benefits of collaborative problem-solving.
Swedish truck manufacturer Scania partnered with Seco’s Research and Development (R&D) team to address a critical challenge: extending the life of tools used for a new type of cast iron in their engine production. Seco’s R&D experts achieved an astonishing 20-fold tool life increase, and their collaborative approach promises benefits for the manufacturing industry at large.
Scania, renowned for its high-quality diesel engines, encountered a significant opportunity when it developed a lighter form of cast iron, allowing for more efficient and eco-friendly engine production. However, this innovation also posed a challenge—the new material accelerated tool wear, reducing tool life and increasing downtime.
Seco‘s R&D specialists, in close cooperation with Scania’s engineers, devised innovative solutions. The results were remarkable: the newly designed drilling tool exhibited a tool life over 20 times that of its predecessor, while other tools outlasted their previous versions by a factor of seven.
Stefan Frejd, R&D Specialist Drilling at Seco, emphasized the time and cost-saving benefits of these extended tool lifespans. Tools lasting longer mean less frequent replacements, significantly reducing production interruptions and expenses. This increased durability also minimized production downtime due to tool breakage, further enhancing manufacturing efficiency.
Importantly, the insights and innovations developed in collaboration with Scania have the potential to be applied in various manufacturing settings. Customized special tools, tailored to meet specific customer requirements, can drive efficiency and cost savings.
For Stefan and the Seco R&D team, the success of this project hinged on their close relationships with customers and a shared commitment to understanding and solving industry challenges. The ability to collaborate with production engineers and swiftly develop practical solutions underlines the value of such partnerships.
