Industry Solution | Differential Housing Solutions
In recent years, the rapid development of new energy vehicles has transformed many automotive components. However, as a critical part of the automotive drivetrain system, the differential has not diminished in importance in the new energy vehicle era; on the contrary, its significance has further increased due to trends toward lightweighting, high integration, and intelligentization.
As the main component of the differential assembly, the differential housing features a complex shape with internal cavity structures, and the mechanical loads it withstands are also extremely complex. Therefore, its material selection and machining processes are far beyond those of ordinary castings. Common differential housings are mostly cast from high-strength cast iron or ductile iron. Achieving Cutting Tools focuses on industry pain points and continues to invest in R&D, having developed mature tooling solutions and machining expertise.
Challenge: The tool tip withstands high-frequency impact loads, making inserts prone to chipping and failure, resulting in low tool life and unpredictable tool change times. This leads to difficulties in automated production, low machining efficiency, out-of-tolerance workpiece dimensions, and high tooling costs.
澳克泰 Cutting Tools Solution: A robust groove geometry for interrupted turning, combined with a turning grade that offers both toughness and wear resistance.
Customer Benefits: Longer and more stable insert life, reduced tool change frequency, improved machining efficiency, and lower machining costs.
Challenge: High requirements for surface dimensional accuracy and profile; strict surface finish requirements; interrupted machining with impact loads on the tool; difficulty in machining spherical contours; poor tool accessibility in the internal cavity, with high vibration risk.
澳克泰Cutting Tools Solution: Gooseneck tool holder + heavy metal material; specific tool entry and exit methods; this ensures both tool accessibility and overall rigidity.
Customer Benefits: Stable spherical accuracy; consistent machining quality.
Challenge: High requirements for dimensional accuracy and coaxiality of the bearing housing bore; large tool overhang, high vibration risk, and low machining efficiency.
澳克泰Cutting Tools Solution: A combined forward-reverse boring bar that optimizes the load design on the tool holder and inserts, reducing vibration risks while ensuring machining accuracy.
Customer Benefits: Ensures dimensional and positional accuracy requirements, with longer insert life.
Challenge: There are various types of oil groove cross-sections and helix angles, requiring targeted design.
澳克泰Cutting Tools Solution: Customized design solutions based on different requirements, using semi-custom inserts; designing different tool holders according to various helix angles, cross-section requirements, and machining needs.
Customer Benefits: Accomplishes oil groove machining that meets requirements, with fast response to customer needs.
PART 01
Efficient machining of the small-end section
Based on the structural characteristics of the differential housing, there are two machining processes for the small-end section: one is to use a standard external turning tool to sequentially turn the small-end face, small-end outer diameter, and flange face; the other is to use a combined profiling tool to machine all sections simultaneously, which significantly improves machining efficiency.
For flange face machining, two standard ISO turning inserts, WNMG08 and CNMG12, are primarily used. The strong interrupted machining of the flange face imposes significant impact on the tool, causing premature tool tip failure and low tool life.
Solution: KC4 groove geometry and AC202K grade, designed for strong interrupted machining of ductile iron.
The KC4 groove geometry offers excellent chipping resistance. Paired with the AC202K grade, which provides better wear resistance, it delivers good machining performance and stable tool life in interrupted cutting operations.
PART 02
Internal spherical surface machining
For internal spherical surface machining, a gooseneck tool solution is adopted. The tool holder is made of heavy metal material, providing a certain damping effect that reduces vibration during machining. This ensures spherical machining accuracy while also improving machining efficiency and tool life.
PART 03
Forward and reverse boring of internal holes
The internal bore is machined using forward and reverse boring in a single operation to ensure product accuracy. Standard C-type or D-type inserts are used, and the tool holder is custom-designed based on the shaft bore diameter and machining diameter. The tool holder features damping capabilities, ensuring machining accuracy while improving efficiency and tool life.
PART 04
Oil guide groove machining
The oil groove inserts are semi-custom designed, with the substrate using a standard D-type insert. They are custom-designed according to different oil groove cross-sections and helix angles required by customers, paired with non-standard tool holders to meet various customer needs.
PART 05
Machining case studies
PART 06
Creating value for customers and service assurance
Comprehensive improvement in production capacity and efficiency
Through process integration and tooling optimization, multiple operations are consolidated into a single machining process, effectively reducing tool change, clamping, and downtime. The complete solution can improve overall differential housing machining efficiency by 20%-40%, helping customers better cope with rapidly growing order demands in the new energy vehicle market without additional equipment investment.
Effective reduction in overall costs
The tool grades and groove geometries specifically developed for strong interrupted machining of ductile iron can increase tool life in key operations by 1-2 times, significantly reducing tool change frequency and tool consumption. At the same time, the solution prioritizes standard ISO insert substrates, with only semi-custom customization for special requirements, helping to reduce customers' tool procurement costs and inventory pressure.
Full-process technical service support
澳克泰Cutting Tools not only provides high-quality tooling products but also delivers professional full-process machining technical services:
Preliminary process planning: Tailoring suitable machining solutions based on customer product characteristics and processing equipment
On-site commissioning support: Professional technical engineers provide on-site tool installation, debugging, and parameter optimization
Continuous technical upgrades: Regular customer follow-ups to optimize machining processes based on actual production conditions
Personnel skills training: Providing professional training on tool usage and maintenance for customer operators
Looking to the future, Achieving Cutting Tools will continue to deeply cultivate cutting machining technology, crafting products with ingenuity and creating value through service, providing excellent tooling solutions to global manufacturing customers and helping them achieve cost reduction, efficiency improvement, quality enhancement, and upgrading.
