IGUANA MILLING CHALLENGE
Putting our new coating technology to the test...
641+
HOURS
of non-stop copper milling action in our Kern HD
30
DAYS
of 24/7 livestream of the event on the streaming platform Twitch
27
KM MILLED
more than 74 times the height of Berlin's Tv Tower
28
COINS
with different designs for us and partners as a reminder of the event
A coating 10 YEARS in the making
The idea for sharpening a diamond coating on an end mill is something that Zecha started over 10 years ago. Various methods were developed and tested but never produced the results that met Zecha's high standards. That is, until laser technology came far enough to turn the idea into a reality.
With renewed energy and curiosity, the team spent several years developing techniques combined with new coatings to finally get the product they were looking for: perfectly sharp cutting edges with unbelievable lifetimes.
Shortly after the release, Zecha won the top prize in the Baden-Württemberg Innovationpreis awards. To celebrate this achievement (and also to prove to the doubters) we knew we had to have an event showing off the technology.
An event to show the world...
In this world of deepfakes and photoshop, we knew we had to go the extra mile and create an event that proved beyond a doubt that the coating performed like we said it did. How would we do it?
One tool or several tools?
We decided to run just one 1mm ball tool that would do everything. We believed this would communicate our message better that one coating being tested non-stop would be put to the test.
What were we going to mill?
We decided to mill copper as this is what our first customers were testing these tools in, and we agreed to make coins in different designs that we could have an give partners that would remind us of the event.
How would we show it?
Instead of just taking pictures and videos, we decided the best way was to make a livestream where viewers could check in on the progress live at any time, or watch the whole event to make sure we weren't cheating.
How long would it go?
We wanted to just let the tool run for as long as it could, or until Zecha needed the machine again. At the end of the event we were shocked at how the tool looked like when we took it out of the machine...
Event Partners
Some of the industry's biggest names joined and supported the event
Event Launched
On December 16th we started the event with a little ceremony where you got to meet different members of the team and partners, and even Mrs. Elvira Zecha hit the 'start' button to get the milling started.
Being our first live event, not everything went smoothly, but we battled through and the tool started off on it's journey blazing its way through the copper coins...
Milling through the New Year
Once it got going it just kept going (minus a few hiccups with water supply to the machine where Kern stepped in and saved the day).
As the event carried on, we had check-ins from various people into the stream, one of them being Prof. Dr. Seul who sent a fantastic Christmas and New Year's message.
As the team continued to watch the stream through the holidays, we all rang in the new year with the tool still going strong after 300+ hours.
After 30 Days...
The tool kept milling, and it was eventually time that Zecha needed the machine back. We had a little closing ceremony with the team and various members of the Zecha family celebrating both that the tool held a whole month and that the event was a success.
Now came the important part of the whole thing: how did the tool and the coins look like after we took them out of the machine?
The results
The Coating
The Coins
Both the tool and the coins went through various tests, and the above images sum it up very well. In the end, after 641+ hours of milling, the tool had an incredible less-than 1 micron wear, and the coins remained structurally consistent throughout the whole event.
It was an amazing event, and if you want more info about it along with more detailed measurements of how the tool and coins were measured, download the event brochure below.
