The Institute activity is carried on in following areas:
- scientific research,
- development works (non-routine design jobs - constructional and concerning process engineering - requiring a scientific substructure) and implementation works,
- production of unique apparatus and single machine tools or small special batches of them, as well as technological devices, tools and tooling likewise measuring and testing systems - characterized by innovative solutions,
- service in scientific and technological area,
- certification of products and investigations for its needs,
- harmonization of Polish technical regulations according to the regulations obligatory in European Union,
- consultations, experts' appraisements and reports, training, scientific and technical information.
Research and development (R & D) works concern the following main objects:
- metal cutting and grinding technology, development of tools and tooling, special machine tools, among others:
- investigations and improvement of high speed cutting processes, machining hard materials, machining without or with minimum application of cutting fluids;
- design of special cutting tools with brazed and glue-bonded inserts;
- development of special cutting tools and tooling for CNC machine tools;
- improvement of technologies for diamond and CBN based abrasive tools;
- investigations on burnishing processes;
- development of methods and equipment for cutting fluids neutralization;
- engineering of cutting materials and wear resistant coatings:
- investigations on physical and chemical properties of materials in particular the cutting materials (structural and strength testing);
- development of ceramic tool materials for inserts;
- improvement of manufacturing techniques for polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and cubic boron nitride (PcBN);
- development of tool coating technology with application of PVD methods;
- unconventional methods for machine parts generation, especially electrodischarge and electrochemical machining, such as:
- investigations on electrodischarge (EDM) sinking and wire cutting processes for improvement of machining accuracy and efficiency;
- investigations on electrochemical machining (ECM), particularly for finishing operations;
- investigations on processes of ultrasonic machining (USM) and abrasive water jet machining (AWJM);
- investigations on hybrid machining methods, such as: electrodischarge-abrasive, electrodischarge-ultrasonic and electrochemical-laser beam machining;
- design and manufacture of special machine tools using unconventional methods of machining;
- technical metrology concerning particularly geometrical quantities:
- development of coordinate measuring methods and machines, including special measuring stands and scanning techniques;
- development of shape and surface roughness measuring methods and devices, including the problems of three dimensional analysis (3D);
- development of tool presetting devices;
- automation of assembly and inspection operations:
- design of automatic assembly appliances and assembly-control lines also for automotive industry;
- design of equipment for physical quantities measurements: for example forces, moments, variations of medium volume and pressure (leak-tightness);
- development of special software for cutting operations, abrasive and EDM machining:
- software systems for machining on CNC and EDM machine tools;
- software systems for coordinate measuring machines, shape measuring instruments and profilometers;
- methods for testing functional quality of machine tools, tools, technological equipment and cutting fluids:
- testing quality and safety of machine tools and technological installations in their operational use; measurements of geometrical accuracy, noise and vibrations and examinations of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC);
- testing technological quality of tools and tooling comprising accuracy tests, cutting ability tests, mechanical strength tests etc.;
- testing cutting fluids, dielectrics and electrolytics, including tests for bacterial stability, corrosive effects, ignition temperature, kinematics viscosity, insulating power etc.
The Institute of Metal Cutting acts within the national system of research and certification as the body certifying the products, particularly machine tools, tools, tooling for safety mark-B in obligatory and voluntary area. Product investigations are conducted in accredited Research Laboratory consisting of 9 specialized sections.
Standard offer of the Institute comprises for example:
- cutting tools - ceramic, PCD and PcBN inserts, cemented carbides and HSS segment inserted hobs;
- burnishing tool heads for internal and external cylindrical surfaces,
- boring heads for fine boring and facing,
- diamond and CBN grinding wheels with resinous, metal or ceramic bonding,
- equipment for automatic balancing of grinding wheels on grinders' spindle,
- sinking and wire cutting EDM machine tools including special purpose machines,
- multipurpose ultrasonic machine tools,
- coordinate measuring machines and measuring-control stands,
- profilographometers and shape measuring instruments, also for 3D analysis,
- tool presetting devices,
- dynamic hardness testers,
- installations for neutralization of used cutting fluids with application of electrostatic-electrolytic method,
- automatic assembly appliances,
- systems for programming machining processes on CNC machine tools.
The Institute is fully equipped and prepared for solving industrial problems of machining and manufacturing of non-typical details demanding special measuring techniques and automatic assembly.
The Institute has been conducting advisory and educational activity also in the range of scientific and technical information for production engineers' needs.