New cutters for milling titanium

Horn has launched a new range of solid carbide milling cutters designed specifically for machining titanium alloys such as Ti6Al4V. The programme comprises cutters with diameters from 2 to 20 mm, available in four- and five-flute geometries with a cutting edge length of 2xD and 3xD.
The newly-developed TSTK grade is specifically intended for machining titanium, widely used in the aerospace and medical industries. As well as offering good tribology properties and high temperature resistance, the material transmits minimal heat into the substrate and acts as a kind of thermal shield.
Further important characteristics of the newly-designed solid carbide end mills are alternative helix angles and pitches to ensure a softer, gentler cut, therefore eliminating vibration and chatter. As titanium’s low thermal conductivity makes it difficult to remove heat from the point of cutting, a copious supply of coolant directly to the cutting edge is essential, advises Horn.
For further information
www.phorn.co.uk

ITC sculpts great future for Digital Fabrications

Before, during and after graduating from the University of Falmouth with a degree in sustainable 3D design, David Forsyth always had a keen eye for turning the most creative of designs and concepts into a reality. The entrepreneur spent time designing and building surfboards, campervan conversions, trophies and much more.
Prior to setting up Newquay-based Digital Fabrications, Forsyth spent time teaching students how to use 3D milling machines; a period that also educated him in the value of acquiring cutting tools from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC). “We used cutting tools from ITC at the university and always had excellent technical support, so when Digital Fabrications started with its first AXYZ routing machine, ITC was the natural choice for cutters.”
Among recent projects is the creation of two 7 m high, 1.8 m wide sycamore leaf sculptures for ‘The Address Downtown Dubai’ hotel in Dubai. ‘The Address Downtown Dubai’ hotel faces the iconic BurjKhalifa, the world’s tallest building.
Layers of the sculptures were machined on the AXYZ routing machine. This workhorse was cutting high-density foam for over 12-15 hours a day, for almost six weeks. The company employed an ITC Brit Cut 20 mm four-flute AlTiN-coated square-end milling cutter for rough-machining the complete profile of the 7 m model. The scale of the sculpture required the long-series Brit Cut 204 tool to use its full 75 mm flute length.
Once the rough-machining process was complete, Digital Fabrications then finish-machined the profile of the sycamore-leaf sculpture with a 20 mm diameter Brit Cut 204 series ball-nose end mill.
To put the tool life of both cutters into perspective; one 7 m sycamore leaf required three weeks of machining at 15 hours a day. This equates to over 220 hours of machining, something that was completed with just one square-end roughing tool and one ball-nose finishing cutter.
For further information
www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Fibre lasers offer up to 9 kW power

Amada’s latest series of LCG-AJ flat-bed laser cutters is equipped with the company’s own 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9 kW oscillators. Amada says it was the first manufacturer of laser machines to develop its own fibre-laser source, with production and testing taking place at the company’s Fujinomiya factory in Japan.
Most models in the LCG-AJ range incorporate an automatic nozzle changer for uninterrupted processing, and all are compatible with Amada’s Digital Support System (ADSS), which not only facilitates the delivery of service support but allows customers to analyse and compare machine performance.
The working range across the LCG-AJ series extends from 3070 x 1550 mm (LCG-3015AJ) to 4070 x 2050 mm (LCG-3015AJ), which is served by positioning speeds of up to 170 m/min – said to be the fastest in its class. According to Amada, using individual high-power diode modules allows for high beam quality, giving the end user higher cutting speeds compared with systems offering a lower beam quality. Furthermore, each machine has a lightweight Y-axis carriage with a low centre of gravity that provides a 30% weight reduction.
Amada’s latest AMNC 3i control ensures simple operation with its smartphone-type 21.5” screen, including on-screen nesting, program scheduling and one-touch set-up features.
LCG-3015AJ machines are fully compatible with Amada’s latest part-picking system, the TK L, which is said to offer high-speed removal and stacking of finished components. All LCG-AJ machines can be equipped with load\unload systems.
For further information
www.amada.co.uk

Plasma preferred to laser at Arcon

Ballymena-based Arcon Engineering has recently invested in a RUR3500P machine from Kerf Developments that features a Lincoln Electric Spirit 400 Amp plasma unit with Ultrasharp technology. Arcon says that the machine is powerful enough to cut through material far beyond the scope of a laser. In addition, the system incorporates a water reservoir that keeps the cutting torches cool and extends the life of consumables.
“We wanted the quality of laser without the cost; Kerf gave us the alternative with their new RUR3500P with Ultrasharp technology,” says managing director Paschal McLoughlin. “The cut quality and precision was outstanding, while the cost wasn’t anywhere near the price of a laser machine. Furthermore, the Kerf RUR3500P is more flexible as the high-definition unit is powerful enough to cut through material far beyond the scope of a laser.”
The design and technology built into the Lincoln Electric Spirit system incorporates a water reservoir that keeps the cutting torches cool. Among the benefits of this technology is that torch and consumable life are said to be extended considerably. Furthermore, the high-powered system has a lower gas consumption. The result for Arcon is a more powerful machine with significantly reduced operating and consumable costs. For a business that is sometimes running its machines 24 hours a day, the savings over the life of the machine are expected to be sizeable. In fact, trials by Kerf have shown that this technology uses up to 78% less plasma gas than competitor machines.
From a capability perspective, the 400 Amp system can cut plate up to
75 mm thick, which gives Arcon the potential to extend its workload beyond existing plate thicknesses.
For further information
www.kerfdevelopments.com

Fibre laser offers parallel kinematics

The liquid-cooled cutting head on Haco Kingsland’s latest-generation FL series fibre-laser cutter features the ability to apply ‘Parallel Kinematics Technology’ for dynamic 5G cutting processes. The technology is said to save users time, space and money.
Offering 3 or 4 m capacity, the machines can be supplied with either 3 or 4 kW laser resonators together with an integrated loading and unloading system. The result is a compact laser-cutting cell with a footprint of less than 11 x 6 m that is suitable for unmanned operation.
Thanks to the ability of modern fibre-laser cutting processes to reduce cycle times, especially for thin materials, automation of loading and unloading processes has become a must. The automatic loading station for the FL series contains a novel gripper concept. Exiting out of a vertically-moving frame, the gripper is equipped with intelligent suction cups, a separator unit, double-sheet detector and separation air-blow. In combination with the automatic scratch-free unloading system, this allows efficient unmanned production for improved cost per part ratios, as well as enhanced profitability and return on investment, says the company. Sheet stability is assured via the deployment of three CNC retractable clamps.
According to Haco Kingsland, FL series laser cutters are highly suitable for continuous nesting operations on different sheet sizes and thicknesses.
For further information
www.kingsland.com