(Heidenhain: Traunreut, Germany) -- Heidenhain Corp. has introduced its TD 110 tool breakage detector, specially designed for quickly sensing tool breakage during use within a machine tool. Providing contact-free inspection of drill bits and end mills, it can determine whether a tool is broken off by more than 2 mm as it passes within a machine tool, yielding significant time and money savings.

The TD 110 tool breakage sensor can be placed in the work envelope, so it’s fast and easy to reach during the tool change. The inductive sensor can detect tools as they pass by while they are spinning at their operational speed. Thanks to its rapid scanning technology, even very small tools made of HSS steel and carbide are detected.

The breakage sensor can then generate either a floating or an HTL switching signal, and the machine control can evaluate it via standard instruction sets. These signals/outputs can be used to connect to a Heidenhain TNC control, a PLC, or to any other IOs of nearly every CNC control manufacturer. In addition, an LED light signals whether a tool has been flagged.

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