Tooling

This page has information on the standard tooling that WPI stocks. Each document has recommended feeds and speeds for the tools that it covers. Application data is intended as a starting point only, and may need to be adjusted for your specific operation.

Please note that there may be multiple tabs in each table with different information, either on different tools, different inserts, or different applications.

Any updates or changes to our standard tooling will be reported at mfelabs.org. Please email washburntooling@wpi.edu​​ with any questions.​

Tool Issuing Policy

If you are working on a short project with a staff contact, the contact may already have tools issued to them. Long-term projects such as MQPs may also be issued tooling directly.

This system is mandatory for end-mills, as well as specialized tooling of all sorts. Lathe inserts and standard drill bits are not required to be issued, however, you may request them if you want to have individual ones. Face-mills and other large tools will not be issued out; however, in special circumstances, inserts may be issued.

Short-term requests:

For short operations, you can request tools directly from staff during normal shop hours (9-5 M-F.) Fill out an order card and give it to a staff member. They’ll give you the tools and keep the card. Return the tools by the end of the business day.

Long-term requests:

There is a whiteboard to the right of the lab machinist office. This is the ordering whiteboard. The bottom right corner is for submitting tool requests. Take a tool request card from the stack by the board, fill it out with all the tools you need, and put it in the tool request area (bottom left of the board.) The order will be approved by a staff member, and then placed in your drawer, and an email will be sent to notify you.

Drawers:

In order to be issued tooling for more than a single operation, you must have a drawer where you will store your tooling. Talk to a staff member to be assigned a drawer. Staff will put tools into your cabinet once your request has been approved, as well as any replacement tools, and will send you an email.

When you are using your tools, their boxes must be stowed in the appropriate bin, located in the setup area. This will help keep track of tool deployment.

When you are not actively using your tools, they must be stored with their boxes in your drawer. Tools may not be left set up without specific staff approval. If a tool is not properly stored, it will be taken and put back into general stock, and you'll have to put in another tool request.

Standard tooling:

Standard tools are intended for general use, and should be suitable for most situations. We will replenish them regularly to ensure that we always have stock. For example, our standard length end-mills and ball end-mills fall into this category. They will be issued out on a permanent basis until they are no longer needed. For a project, this will be until the project is complete, while individuals can keep tooling until they aren't at WPI anymore.

Specialty tooling:

Specialty tools are more specialized than standard tools, like extended reach end-mills or indexable feed-mills, and we don't keep large numbers in stock. Partial lists of specialty tools are in the various feeds and speeds documents, and they will be updated as we continue to categorize our tools. Specialty tooling isn't issued out permanently, but instead for a single job, after which it must be returned. This is to ensure that we keep specialty tooling in inventory for when it's needed.

Broken tools:

If a tool is broken, first email IBrokeThis@wpi.edu explaining what happened, why the tool broke, how much it will cost WPI, what you have learned, and how you will prevent the issue from happening again.

Afterwards, place the tool back in the box and put it into the bin next to the order board. It will be collected by a staff member, who will put a new tool into your drawer. Depending on the specific crash and how much info you provided in your IBrokeThis email, they may request a meeting to discuss the accident prior to issuing another tool.

Tooling advice:

If you are unsure how to make your part, the first step should be to register for a staff contact, who can give advice on how to best make it. You and the staff contact can work with tooling staff in order to identify the best tools, approaches, and cutting parameters to produce your part. We have other tooling besides what's listed under standard and specialty tooling. If we don't have anything that will do what you need, we will try to source an appropriate tool.

Issuing Staff:

washburntooling@wpi.edu

Jack Sengstaken, Tool Manager: jsengstaken@wpi.edu

Alex Lemmon, Tool Manager: amlemmon@wpi.edu

Torbjorn Bergstrom, Operations Manager: torbjorn@wpi.edu