Sandvik Coromant’s CoroDrill® DE10 helps Sunfab strengthen production efficiency while maintaining high standards of hydraulic quality.
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often,” spoke Winston Churchill in 1925. Over 873 miles away, in the same year, Eric Sundin founded Sunfab under a similar philosophy. Innovation, expertise and an appetite for development have defined Sunfab’s journey from pioneering the world’s first mobile truck crane to its current position as a global leader in hydraulic pumps and motors. It is this same spirit of continual improvement that guided it to explore Sandvik Coromant’s CoroDrill® DE10.
From its base in Hudiksvall, Sweden, Sunfab manufactures approximately 45,000 hydraulic pumps and motors each year, supplying industries worldwide.
Central to Sunfab’s success is its vision, “together we create the hydraulics of the future”. The demands on hydraulics are constantly evolving — from efficiency and durability to sustainability and precision — and Sunfab recognises that staying competitive means anticipating tomorrow’s requirements today.
Precision demands
Today’s hydraulics demand ever-higher levels of precision, reliability and efficiency. Pumps and motors must operate flawlessly under high pressures, with tight tolerances critical to both performance and longevity. As a fundamental step in component manufacture, precise drilling ensures each hole meets exacting specifications, ensuring smooth operation and long-term durability.
Even small variations in hole quality or premature tool wear can have amplified consequences in high-volume production. Frequent tool changes and unplanned stoppages not only reduce efficiency and increase costs but also divert skilled operators from more valuable tasks. This is why, despite being satisfied with their existing drilling processes, Sunfab recognised that even minor improvements in tool longevity and hole consistency could deliver meaningful gains across production.
To explore potential improvements, Sunfab turned to its long-term partner Beros. Leveraging their expertise and understanding of Sunfab’s operations, Beros recommended exploring Sandvik Coromant’s drilling solutions.
“Sandvik Coromant’s focus on precision, innovation and quality mirrors our own approach,” reflected Oskar Strömberg, Production Engineer at Sunfab. “Their commitment to understanding production challenges, providing reliable solutions and continuously improving their tooling made them an ideal partner.”
With this shared ethos, Sunfab was confident that Sandvik Coromant could deliver tangible improvements in drilling efficiency and consistency, paving the way for implementing and testing CoroDrill® DE10.
From setup to success
CoroDrill® DE10 is a precision drill designed to meet the demands of high-volume production, offering fast changeovers and simple deployment.
Integrating the tool into Sunfab’s existing processes was straightforward. Its exchangeable-tip concept enabled fast changeovers, allowing operators to introduce the new tool directly into existing setups. CoroDrill® DE10’s plug-and-play interface also meant that no pilot drill was required, so the team could begin testing the tool immediately without reworking setups.
Production trials began with Sandvik Coromant’s recommended cutting parameters, providing a baseline for evaluation. As the team refined these settings to better suit their production environment, the benefits of the DE10 became clear.
“We started with Sandvik Coromant’s recommended cutting parameters, which gave us solid results,” explained Strömberg.
“However, by reducing the cutting data to match our environment, we achieved even higher hole quality. At a diameter of 12.3 mm, tool life more than doubled, from 65 to 160 minutes, while at a diameter of 14.3 mm, it tripled from 90 to 285 minutes. At 17.8 mm, tool life was further extended from 180 to 270 minutes. These achievements have made a considerable difference to our cost per hole.”
The improvements in hole quality and tool life were underpinned by the tool’s design. The robust tip and patented pre-tension interface delivered precise centring, reducing variation and ensuring every hole met tolerance requirements. At the same time, its chip-flute geometry and twin coolant channels effectively cleared swarf, maintaining a stable cut and preventing premature wear. By maintaining consistency even under continuous, high-volume drilling, CoroDrill® DE10 gave Sunfab a process that operators could trust to deliver predictable performance.
Strömberg further highlighted the benefits of switching drill: “Beyond improvements in tool life and hole quality, we also noticed that drilling was quieter and smoother, which has added to the feeling of stability in the process. With fewer interruptions and less tool monitoring, the shop floor has also become calmer and more efficient, allowing our operators to focus more on production.”
More importantly, for end customers, the change in drill was undetectable. Sunfab’s hydraulic pumps continued to deliver the same high standards of performance, while behind the scenes, production became leaner, more predictable and more cost-effective, strengthening Sunfab’s competitive edge.
The next chapter
For over a century, Sunfab has been committed to innovation, precision and efficiency. The success of the CoroDrill® DE10 represents the next chapter in this pursuit.
Reflecting on the project, Strömberg said: “Our collaboration with Sandvik Coromant and Beros has created a strong foundation for ongoing innovation. By combining our expertise and sharing knowledge, we can continue to explore new efficiencies, refine processes and advance reliability, ensuring we keep improving together for the future.”
With this partnership as a foundation, Sunfab is poised to continue evolving its production processes, driving leaner, more efficient and more consistent production, ensuring its hydraulic components continue to set the benchmark for quality and reliability.
If you’re looking to optimise your drilling processes, speak to Sandvik Coromant to discover how its range of drilling solutions can enhance your production.
