SANDVIK COROMANT is introducing remanufactured damping turning adapters, specialized device used to eliminate chatter and vibrations in turning. With tungsten prices rising, material availability remaining scarce, and manufacturers facing increasing pressure to demonstrate circularity, the components inside a used tool hold value that typically has been lost after the complete tool was sent for recycling.

Tungsten is among the most resource-intensive materials used in metal cutting. In a damped turning adapter with a carbide-reinforced tool body, components containing tungsten account for more than 90% of the tool’s total CO₂ footprint.

With its remanufactured Silent Tools^™ vibration-damping turning adapters, Sandvik Coromant recovers those components and returns them to service in new tools.

For one customer, recognizing the value remaining in the components as a Silent Tools^™ bar approached the end of its service life, prompted an inquiry about the alternative to discarding the complete tool. That question became the basis for the new remanufacturing process.

The carbide-reinforced rings in a Silent Tools^™ adapter are among its most valuable and resource-intensive components, and they are frequently still in good condition when the adapter itself needs to be replaced. Conventionally, the entire tool was sent for recycling regardless. In the remanufacturing process, returned adapters are disassembled and the rings are inspected, cleaned and checked for quality before being reused in new tools. Reusing components in this way reduces demand for new raw material, removes a substantial amount of processing and lowers CO₂ emissions.

Material in the metal-cutting industry conventionally moves in one direction, from production unit to customer. Remanufacturing requires moving to a circular business model.

“What makes this possible today is that we have developed a new reverse flow,” stated Ella Berglund, global supply chain planner at Sandvik Coromant. “Valuable components flow back from the customer into a circular manufacturing process where they can be reused in future tools. Being part of turning a customer idea into a global offering has been one of the most rewarding parts of the project.”

Switching the tungsten components to recycled material reduces the CO₂ footprint of the adapter by 40%, while reusing them takes that reduction up to 90%*.

A remanufactured adapter delivers the same product quality and performance as a new one, and carries the same guarantees.

The offer currently covers carbide-reinforced Silent Tools^™ adapters above 25 millimeters or 1 inch, including standard, special and sensor-equipped Silent Tools™ Plus versions.

“The tool that comes back has the same guarantee and the same function as a new one,” according to Silent Tools^™ global produce manager Åke Axner. “That was the condition for doing this at all. A more sustainable option is only worth having if customers do not have to give anything up to get it.”

A remanufactured adapter costs less than a new one, and customers who return a used adapter also receive a sustainability bonus, calculated based on the diameter of the tool sent back and applied to the price of the replacement. Returning a tool that would otherwise have gone to recycling lowers the cost of the next one, and with tungsten prices rising and material availability tightening, that argument is becoming stronger.

A customer with an adapter they no longer need requests a quote through their usual Sandvik Coromant contact. The replacement tool does not need to match the dimensions or specifications of the one returned, allowing manufacturers to align the tool that comes back with current production requirements.

Once the order is placed, the customer ships the used adapter to the nearest Sandvik Coromant production unit. Sandvik Coromant manages internal shipping, disassembly, quality control, manufacturing and delivery. If there are not enough rings in the right dimensions, new rings are added.

The offer currently covers carbide-reinforced rings and may be expanded to include additional components in the future.

The offer is available in Europe, the U.S. and Canada, with additional markets to follow. Availability and the return process vary by market, so customers should contact their local Sandvik Coromant representative.

“It is easy to talk about circularity in theory,” stated Berglund. “Seeing returned tools come back into the process and become part of a new tool makes the concept very tangible.”

Learn more at www.sandvik.coromant.com