Specially designed for quickly sensing tool breakage during use within a machine tool, HEIDENHAIN, Schaumburg, Illinois, introduces the new TD 110 tool breakage detector. 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 detector can be placed in the work envelope so that it is 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. Due to its rapid scanning technology, even very small tools made of HSS steel and carbide are detected.

The TD 110 can 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 or a PLC or to any other IOs of nearly every CNC control manufacturer. In addition, an LED signals whether a tool has been flagged.

Overall benefits of HEIDENHAIN’s new TD 110 tool breakage detector include:

• Maintenance-free sensor for reducing non-productive time for breakage inspection.
• Cooling lubricant and lightly contaminated tools are tolerated.
• Universally retrofittable thanks to standard interfaces for tool touch probes.

For more information, visit www.heidenhain.us.