Even better groove milling

Trouble-free precision groove milling in an easy-to-use format is what Sandvik Coromant says manufacturers are set to enjoy with the latest CoroMill 331 indexable-insert cutter.

New features include internal coolant and light cutting geometries for stable and secure machining.
The addition of internal coolant helps to regulate heat in the cutting zone for long and predictable insert life. This factor is especially beneficial in ISO M and ISO S materials (stainless steel and heat-resistant alloys), which exhibit poor thermal conductivity. Additionally, internal coolant aids chip evacuation, a key factor for groove quality and process security.
Trouble-free machining is further supported through the introduction of light cutting geometries. For ISO M and ISO S materials, L30 and L50 geometries replace the company’s existing assortment for good conditions/light applications and tougher conditions/heavy applications respectively. For ISO P (steel) and ISO K (cast iron) materials, M30 geometry now complements the existing assortment. M30 is designed for the delivery of secure machining where weak set ups and long overhangs are present.
Another factor underpinning process security is enhanced cutter rigidity. In applications where long overhang or elevated levels of vibration are likely, CoroMill 331 can be deployed with Silent Tools damped adaptors. Here, the shorter body of CoroMill 331 brings the cutting edge closer to the Silent Tools damping mechanism, providing yet more tool stability.
Sandvik Coromant says that typical parts to benefit include hour-glass valve bodies, aerospace brackets, flap tracks and steering knuckles, to list but a few. CoroMill 331 also offers high levels of versatility that render it suitable not just for groove milling, but parting, double half-side machining, shoulder milling, face milling, back-face milling, gang milling and circular interpolation.
For further information www.sandvik.coromant.com

End mills aimed at tool makers

Pitched at the tool-making industry, Rainford Precision has introduced the series of HSB-S Unimax ball-nose end mills from Union Tool.

The range of small, two-flute, short-shank end mills are ground to an H4 tolerance of 0/-0.004 mm.
Designed for application with precision tool holders such as shrink-fit types, the HSB-S is offered with an overall length from 35 to 40 mm to minimise tool protrusion and maximise rigidity. Importantly, a key feature of the range is the ±0.003 mm tolerance of the ball-nose radius, which is intended to improve surface finish.
The HSB-S Unimax can be offered with a ball-nose radius of 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5 or 2 mm, and a length of cut from 0.2 to 4 mm. Designated as a series for machining materials of 40 HRc and above, the tools feature HardMax coating technology and negative rake-angle geometry to provide a balance of tool hardness, heat-resistance and durability. The negative rake reduces as the radius transitions to the periphery, which is said to minimise tool deflection and generate mirror-finish surfaces.
HSB-S end mills can be applied to materials such as carbon, alloy, pre-hardened and hardened steels up to 70 HRc. Additionally, the HardMax coating enables the HSB-S to process copper, cast iron, titanium alloys and heat-resistant alloys.
For manufacturers seeking a long-necked version for reaching difficult-to-access surfaces, Rainford Precision offers the HSLB-S series. Available with a ball-nose radius from 0.1 to 3 mm, the HSLB-S range has a maximum clearance length of 20 mm with an overall length from 35 to 50 mm, depending upon the selected tool diameter.
For further information www.rainfordprecision.com

Drills provide 400% cycle-time boost

In 2016, Surrey-based GPR Ltd made its first strides from three to five-axis machining, and it was cutting tool manufacturer Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) that fully supported the subcontractor in selecting the optimum cutters for the new machine. Now, ITC has stepped in again to solve a new challenge.

GPR managing director Vernon Ward says: “We won an initial order for 20 sets of mobile phone test-bed housings and each set consisted of six parts. However, with upward of 300 holes per set, we had an average of three drill failures per set. We persevered with existing HSS drills for a while and then won an extended order for 80 sets of the mobile phone test-bed housings, so we called ITC.”
ITC immediately suggested the Widia range of VDS solid-carbide through-coolant drills to eliminate tool failures and the associated time and costs involved with changeovers.
“We completed the entire batch of 80 sets, which consisted of 480 parts and approximately 24,000 holes, with a single set of drills,” says Ward. “After the project had finished, the VDS drills were still in an ‘as-new’ condition. The drills may have been more expensive than our previous tools, but they paid for themselves by the time we machined 20 parts.”
When GPR won another order for drilling oil well monitoring equipment, ITC again recommended the VDS drilling range. The batch of 10 Duplex bars required four 10 mm deep holes per part and, with a pre-drilling and drilling cycle, the complete drilling time was 4 minutes 58 seconds per component. Aiming to reduce this cycle time, the VDS drills reduced the cycle time to just 44 seconds, a cycle time reduction of over 400%.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Axiom strengthens

Axiom Product Development, the Chichester-based machining and tooling business, has further strengthened and diversified the skills of its management team with the appointment of Alayna Legg as head of finance and Simon Serpenskas as design engineer.

The pair join Axiom at an exciting time following the recent acquisition of the assets and trade of FRH Technical Machining in May 2018 and a subsequent period of investment in people, skills and experience to broaden the company’s capabilities.
For further information www.axiompd.co.uk

Kick-off for EMO 2019

The starting whistle has been sounded for EMO 2019 (16-21 September 2019) with invitation and registration documents currently being sent out to companies in around 60 countries.

EMO Hannover 2017 Preview am 21./22. Juni 2017, Tagungsbereich Halle 19/20, Messegelände Hannover. Im Bild:
Carl Martin Welcker, Generalkommissar der EMO Hannover

“We contact almost every company in the world that does international business and has some connection with the manufacture of machine tools, tooling, components, software or automation for industrial production,” says Carl Martin Welcker, general commissioner of EMO 2019. According to the organiser, EMO exhibitors have responded well to the early bird discount, which runs until 15 October this year. .
For further information www.emo-hannover.de