Cutting tool innovations from Mapal

Mapal used the EMO exhibition in Hanover last month as the launch pad for its new c-COM cloud-based data platform, as well as a host of new cutting tool lines. Tooling launches included the CPR500/510 replaceable-head reamer. Incorporating optimised cooling that offers an economic advantage when machining castings, this new arrival can extend tool life as its solid-carbide replaceable heads feature a purpose-designed CVD coating.

Complementing the latest reaming line was a complete new programme of ISO indexable inserts for boring steel, stainless steel and heat-resistant cast steel. Depending on prevailing conditions, such as material, machine stability, coolant and clamping, customers can choose between PVD- and CVD-coated cutting materials.
Elsewhere on the stand, Mapal revealed an extension to its three-edge Tritan-Drill range, which was launched last year. At EMO, the introduction of a specially adapted version for steel means that this material can be machined more cost-effectively compared with drills featuring two cutting edges.
Mapal also extended its programme of solid-carbide milling cutters for roughing applications with the new five-edge OptiMill-Uni-Wave. This full-slot mill makes it possible to produce groove depths up to 2xD, thanks largely to a highly ductile carbide substrate with a wear-resistant coating and special edge preparation.
For face-milling operations, EMO saw the arrival of a new generation of milling tools for cutting depths up to 4 mm. With replaceable PCD milling cartridges, PowerMill-Blue is designed for machining aluminium in the automotive industry. Chip-guiding geometry has been optimised for the series, while the chip former is no longer integrated in the tool body but directly in the milling cassettes, ultimately resulting in better surface finishes.
For further information www.mapal.com

Modular drill offers best of both world

Kennametal engineers say they have taken the strength and versatility of the KSEM modular drill system and combined it with the ease of use and low feed forces of its smaller companion drill, KenTIP. The resulting fusion of these advanced holemaking technologies is the KenTIP FS, a 6 to 26 mm, 1.5 to 12xD modular drill that is said to be simple to use and tough enough to compete with solid carbide drills across a range of materials. The tool has a full solid carbide front, enabling it to withstand more heat and abuse than competing modular drill technologies.

The drill’s flutes are highly polished after final machining, a process that Kennametal has found greatly improves chip evacuation and reduces washout near the tip. And instead of the two coolant holes found in most modular drill designs, the KenTIP FS has four – two at the tip and two in the chip gullet directly behind the head. This multi-coolant approach provides greater coolant volume to prevent chip packing while simultaneously drawing heat away from the cutting zone, prolonging tool life and improving hole quality.
Inserts with HPL and HPC point styles have through-tool coolant channels to provide better lubrication in this area to overcome the issue. In steel though, it´s better to concentrate coolant to the rake and take the heat from the contact zone between chip and rake surface. As a result, Kennametal has eliminated the front coolant holes in its HPG geometry inserts to raise insert tool life and improve chip breakage. In addition, this avoids built-up edge and makes the insert more rigid, which allows higher penetration rates in steel applications.
For further information www.kennametal.com

Marking line improves aerospace traceability

Floyd Automatic Tooling says that it now offers the latest Hommel + Keller brand of Zeus marking systems.
A manufacturer of aerospace industry connectors has recently chosen marking technology from Hommel + Keller as a means of clearly identifying components. The connectors vary in terms of diameter and material. For example, parts identical in design are made from nickel with a diameter of 3.33 mm and from brass with a much smaller diameter of 1.52 mm. To optimise production and further reduce set-up times, the aerospace manufacturer was also looking for an alternative to marking with the production number.

The solution was the Zeus spring return marking method. Explaining the situation, Hommel + Keller International technical sales engineer, José Cruz, says: “The customer was already using our tools for marking. However, the revolving method that depends on diameter was being employed. That meant there was a separate marking roll for each connector diameter and the customer often had to swap tools with production changes. Since the workpieces have very small diameters, the marking rolls also had an unfavourable ratio of 6:1 to ensure precise marking in multiple rotations. This increased the amount of set-ups required, particularly in the case of small and medium-sized production volumes. With our spring return system, we were able to offer the customer an even more cost-effective method of machining. Now, different connectors need only one roll for marking.”
In contrast to the revolving method, the spring return method ensures the embossing process takes place over just one partial rotation of the marking roll. This permits processing at high speeds.
For further information www.floydautomatic.co.uk

A tool for all applications from ITC

When a machinist with extensive motorsport expertise had ambitions of starting his own business, the first step was a five-axis machining centre, high-end CAM software and cutting tools from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC).

“When I started the business I recalled how the technical expertise of ITC aided previous employers with special tools,” says managing director Allan Carabine. “ITC also gave advice on maximising tool life and performance while reducing costs and consumption. When we started, I trialled ITC’s 6 mm diameter 3081 series on aluminium parts. It blew the previous tools out of the water.
“We then had a family of three aluminium parts that were required in a quantity of 500 for each component,” he continues. “The parts were set on a jig that could machine four components in a single set-up with a cycle time of 25 minutes. Only a few days into the new project, the previous cutting tools generated inconsistent tool life and poor surface finishes. Engineers from ITC recommended an ITC 16 mm diameter 3081 series solid carbide end mill. It completed the whole project of 1500 parts with minimal tool wear, exceptional surface finishes and was 30% cheaper than the previous cutting tool.”
Following the success of ITC’s aluminium end mills, MK Precision trialled the Widia VariMill 4777 series of four-flute solid carbide end mills on titanium components. A specific project of 90 components required a 50 by 50 mm pocket at a depth of 6 mm on each part. Here, the Widia VariMill 4777 Series immediately cut the
cycle time from 15 to 10 minutes per part.
For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Wearable robotic exoskeletons

IUVO, a spin-off company of the BioRobotics Institute (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) in the field of wearable technologies, has recently received a joint investment from Comau and Össur. The objective of IUVO is to create wearable, intelligent and active tools for a better quality of life. Here, the first concrete examples are robotic exoskeletons capable of aiding and improving the quality of life for workers in the industrial and service fields, and for medical patients in need of improved mobility.

A fundamental aspect of the venture is the joint desire to progress and evolve human-machine collaboration within diverse sectors, including biomedical, manufacturing and consumer. With headquarters inside the Comau HUMANufacturing Innovation Centre in Pisa, and a group of engineers and researches, IUVO is leveraging the shared competencies of the extended team to develop and commercialise wearable technologies.
For further information www.comau.com