The Haefeli Diamantwerkzeugfabrik AG has been manufacturing quality sintered diamond and CBN grinding tools since 1949 – and – starting now – the smallest sintered grinding pencil ever with a diameter of only 0.18 mm. This extremely small precision tool was developed to meet the demands of customers in the watchmaking industry.

Longer tool lives Along with grinding wheels, these sintered Haefeli grinding pencils, which until recently started from 0.2 mm in the standard product line, have enjoyed an excellent reputation for many years among handlers. “Above all, this is due to the long lasting Haefeli bonds in combination with the strong abrasive coatings produced during the sintering processes – even when it comes to the smallest of tools. In contrast with galvanized grinding pencils, sintered grinding pencils simply last longer,” explains Peter Haefeli, who runs the family business, founded in 1920, along with his brother Rainer.

Small, precise The Haefeli miniature grinding pencils are being introduced into the optics and fine mechanics industries, as well as manufacturers of high-quality brand-name watches. For these clients, tools can never be too small or too precise. They need to grind a variety of metals, technical ceramics and gemstones for watch cases, face plates and other components in mechanical movements.

What are the limits of the sintering process? The 0.18 mm tool was optimised and deployed by Haefeli customers from various industries that use precision grinding and milling machines. With this grinding pencil, have the limits of the sintering process in manufacturing been reached? “No,” says Peter Haefeli, “We are now making prototypes with diameters of only 0.16 mm, also sintered of course. The trend towards making components and work pieces even smaller is an exciting challenge for us. We’ll see where the limits are.”

Haefeli Diamantwerkzeugfabrik AG Riedenhaldenstrasse 51 CH-8046 Zürich Tél. +41 44 377 80 50 Fax +41 44 377 80 60

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