At the AMB exhibition in Stuttgart towards the end of last year, Haimer showed how modern tool management works: with high-quality, process-reliable components and end-to-end digitisation, through to fully automated tool presetting and secure transmission of digital tool data to the machine. A striking highlight of the Haimer stand was the fully digitised toolroom.

Tool management must be made as easy as possible for manufacturing companies – whether small or large. End-to-end digitisation and automation play a decisive role.

“We offer our customers the analogue and digital tool set-up process from a single source,” emphasises Andreas Haimer, president of the Haimer Group. “Starting from our tool holders and tools, as well as Toolbase dispensing systems, the data is managed digitally by WinTool software, right through to transmission to the machine tool control. Our Haimer Power Clamp, Tool Dynamic and Microset machines are available for the analogue set-up process. That’s unique.”

The WinTool data hub, which enables the management of tools, operating resources, machine programs, processes and master data, plays a central role in the overall process.

He adds: “In order to provide our customers with a proven, high-performance, digital offering, we acquired a 25% share in WinTool AG at the beginning of 2024 and agreed a strategic partnership with the TCM Group. Since then, the WinTool and Toolbase product lines have been part of the Haimer range.”

To ensure that the digital processes in tool management work reliably, the tools and their chucks should be identified as uniquely as possible. Haimer therefore supplies all tool holders with a unique ID – in the form of a laser-engraved, unique data matrix code that prevents any mix-ups.

More information www.haimer.com

Seco has introduced two chip-splitter milling inserts that lower the stress on both the machine and cutting tool for improved milling process stability. The Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts for the company’s Turbo cutters – available in five grades for both square shoulder and helical milling cutters – reduce chatter, vibration and stress on manufacturing equipment.

Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts incorporate grooves on both of their cutting edges to minimise chip size and lower cutting forces without reducing cutting data or depth of cut. By keeping chips as small as possible, shops lessen the risk of chip jamming, improving process security and supporting the more effective machining of deep pockets.

Product managers Magnus Engdahl and Michael Davies work in tandem and spearhead the team who developed the inserts. “The Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter milling inserts apply to various machining applications and materials,” says Engdahl.

Davies adds: “The versatility of the inserts makes them suitable for a wide range of industry segments and materials, providing customers with a flexibility.”

Hard-to-reach part features can pose challenges, and even the most robust combinations of machine and tool can struggle with long overhangs. Seco says its chip-splitter inserts overcome these challenges by evacuating chips from deep pockets for improved chip flow. Plus, Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts reduce chatter commonly associated with long-reach applications, resulting in longer tool life and better surface finish.

Thanks to their stability and ability to reduce cutting forces, Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts give shops the much needed process security and reliability required for effective unattended machining operations. As a result, shops increase output while also minimising stress on the machine and tool.

More information www.secotools.com

LMT says that one of its principal strengths is the custom design of complex tool solutions. Providing testimony to this statement is the company’s development of four-edged automatically adjustable tools that are said to provide maximum performance, precision, flexibility and process reliability.

Automatically adjustable tools feature movable cutting edges that can be controlled via a drawbar in the tool and slides. They enable the machining of complex component geometries in a single clamping operation and primarily see use in the automotive industry.

The tool system has four cutting edges, a stable, centrifugal force-resistant design and high-precision, complex tool/insert components, allowing high cutting speeds with high precision and surface quality. This capability leads to a reduction in cycle times, resulting in cost savings, reports LMT.

It is possible to adjust the four cutting edges continuously, highly accurately and evenly in the micron range (transmission ratio 1:4), ensuring the precise machining of a wide range of contours and diameters with just one tool. Controllable cutting edges also allow quick and easy tool wear compensation via the machining centre’s control. Manual adjustment is no longer necessary, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

Depending on application conditions and the workpiece material, the cutters can employ indexable inserts with different cutting materials and geometries. For example, inserts with wiper geometry ensure the best surfaces, while PCD-tipped inserts guarantee maximum performance when machining engine components and aluminium housings.

Users can set three parameters on the clamping holder – diameter, length and angle -contributing to better surface finish. The four-edged automatically adjustable tools feature a central channel that directs the coolant specifically to each cutting edge, helping to optimise chip removal, increase productivity and maximise process reliability.More information www.lmt-tools.com

Walter has extended its range of Xtra·tec XT milling cutters to cover diameters 50, 63 and 80 mm with the addition of the M5250 helical mill. The company says that its latest generation of indexable-insert milling cutters is characterised by high performance paired with process reliability.

These capabilities are credit to features like a reinforced insert pocket and insert seat. Moreover, each individual tooth on the M5250 has separate cooling. Walter uses proven, double-edged BC 1605 system inserts on the face of the M5250, and allows users to choose between various corner radii, cutting tool materials and geometries.

The G51 geometry (“the quiet one”) is for applications likely to incur vibration, or for tools with long projection lengths. In contrast, G55W cutting inserts with Walter WaveCut geometry are suitable for titanium components with high volume removal requirements, such as those found in the aerospace industry. Walter uses milling cutter-specific SC 1105 cutting inserts with four cutting edges as peripheral inserts.

In addition to steel, cast iron and materials with difficult cutting properties, the helical milling cutter is also suitable for use on aluminium and other non-ferrous metals. Unlike other fully effective helical milling cutters, Xtra·tec XT milling cutters can also be used for full slotting alongside shoulder milling, pocket milling and ramping.

As well as flexibility and process reliability (thanks to the operational smoothness of the cutter), Walter says the high machining volume results from the effective design of the mill and reduced process costs. These lower costs stem from the two or four useable cutting edges per indexable insert, along with new wear-resistant Tiger·tec cutting tool materials.

More information www.walter-tools.com