The ”intelligent” toolholder

iTENDO is the intelligent toolholder from SCHUNK, designed in cooperation with the Vienna University of Technology and TOOL IT GmbH, Vienna. It fully uses the potential of integrated process monitoring directly where the chip is formed. SCHUNK calls this strategy “closest-to-the-part”, whereby the intelligence is integrated directly into the first wear-free element of the machine equipment that is closest to the workpiece. The smart tool is offered in the first step in combination with SCHUNK TENDO hydraulic expansion toolholders from 2019, allowing complete documentation of process stability, unmanned limit value monitoring, tool breakage detection, and real-time control of the speed of rotation and feed rate.
The toolholders with integrated process intelligence have the same interfering contours as the conventional toolholder mountings. The use of cooling lubricant is possible as usual. Equipped with a sensor, battery, and transmitting unit, the intelligent system records the process directly on the tool, transmits the data wirelessly to a receiving unit in the machine room, and from there via cable to a control and evaluation unit, where the data are analysed.