Changing what is the company’s most popular product can pose significant risk, but in the case of Ceratizit Group’s SilverLine solid-carbide milling cutters, taking that calculated gamble has paid significant dividends for users, who can now enjoy improved performance from the totally updated range.

While cautious not to make change for change’s sake, the development team was tasked with improving the three key elements that give a solid-carbide tool high performance, namely the carbide substrate, coating and geometry.
Demonstrating that SilverLine was a “good tool made even better”, extensive field trials were undertaken in Germany. The test results speak for themselves, as highlighted by the example at long-standing SilverLine user Heinz Knöpfle GmbH.
Says production director Christian Knöpfle: “As big fans of the original SilverLine tools, we had very high hopes, but the amazing results that we’ve achieved with the upgrade have far exceeded expectations.”
The results from the trials showed a tangible increase of between 20 and 40% in cutting speeds. At the same time, service life increased by 30 to 40%.
“I noticed straight away that the new SilverLine tools are quieter, thus reducing the burden on the machine,” says Knöpfle. “The values obtained over the months then confirmed this; we have a new favourite tool.”
In the tests, SilverLine was initially used for machining a stainless steel polygon shaft, which Knöpfle produces in various sizes for a water management company.
Says Knöpfle: “We use the tool at extremely high cutting speeds and therefore achieve excellent chip evacuation, with a service life and level of process security that other milling cutters never reach. This is ideal for users like us, who only wish to use a small selection of tools.”
For further information www.ceratizit.com