Engineer and Inventor Edd China visits Sandvik Coromant to investigate vibration-reducing technology

In the film, Edd China visits Sandvik Coromant in Trondheim, Norway, where world-leading research into vibration-reducing technology for machining is undertaken. During a series of interviews with experts from the company, he learns about how tuned mass damping is applied to modern cutting tools.

Safely controlling vibrations is an extremely important part of machining technology and is integral to the design and construction of large buildings – such as the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Left unchecked, vibrations can cause severe structural damage, especially in cases of earthquakes and hurricanes. Similarly, when it comes to machining, vibration can cause various issues including noise or damaged components and tools. To counter this, Sandvik Coromant offers Silent Tools™ damped tolling solutions, specifically designed to counter and absorb vibration through use of a pre-tuned damper inside the tool.

When constructing the Taipei 101, engineers were challenged with countering the motions that occur in large buildings when subjected to strong winds to sustain comfort for those inside. Preventing vibrational damage was also a top priority. The film shows how the concept of tuned mass damping can be dramatically scaled down, with a hands-on construction of a simplified model of the Taipei 101 tower being used to illustrate how tuned mass damping works in practice.

“It doesn’t matter whether the tower is 500 metres tall, or it’s a tiny tool. They are both subject to the same laws of physics, and both damp vibrations by the same method,” concludes Edd China.