Tribute to Stuart Pritchard

MTI is sad to report that Stuart Pritchard, the company’s former production and design specialist, has passed away. Stuart stepped down from his long-standing role at MTI in mid-2020 after suffering from the degenerative effects of motor neurone disease (MND). He fought bravely against this cruel disease, but sadly lost his battle in December with his partner Louise by his side. MTI will remember Stuart as a friendly, happy, helpful and extremely proficient member of the team. He will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of spending time in his company. Rest in peace Stuart.

Guhring sharpens its edge

To address the issue of machining soft, tough and high-alloyed materials that create an issue with swarf clearance, Guhring has introduced its RF100 Sharp series of high-performance end mills. Chip jamming and swarf sticking to the cutting tool can create a major impact upon productivity and machining performance, which is why Guhring has developed the new RF100 Sharp series of solid-carbide cutters.

Recognised as Guhring’s sharpest solid-carbide milling tool to date, the new RF100 Sharp delivers high-quality machining results with good swarf evacuation on the most challenging of materials, says the company. Not only does the new RF100 Sharp demonstrate smooth cutting action and chip removal, it is also a versatile end mill that is suitable for slotting, ramping, roughing, helical milling, finishing and trochoidal cutting.

With a rake angle of 12°, the end mills can be applied to materials with high ductility and tensile strength from 300 to 900 N/mm2. This makes the four-flute end mills suitable for machining steel, stainless steel, aluminium, aluminium alloys and other challenging materials.

The performance of the new RF100 Sharp derives from a tough carbide grade that combines with an AlCrN coating to prevent tool breakages under demanding conditions, while the coating technology increases the wear protection, regardless of the cutting speed, says Guhring. Complementing this composition is a geometry that has an optimised facet that dampens vibration, smooths the cutting action and increases tool life. This tool life improvement is further enhanced with a corner protection chamfer that increases stability and edge strength.

For further information
www.guhring.co.uk

Optimise tooling and cutting data instantly

Customers of Seco Tools can reduce the time they need for process optimisation with quick, expert tooling recommendations through the recently redesigned Suggest portlet, a free online resource available 24/7.

As machining jobs become more complex, tolerances tighter, delivery times shorter and skilled operators harder to find, shops need reliable access to advice that helps them find the most efficient tooling solutions. After a user enters key information about their machines and application requirements into Suggest, they receive authoritative recommendations and cutting data in less than a minute.

Suggest provides real-time access to Seco product information and recommended cutting data for most Seco products, enabling shops to minimise cycle times.

“Any reduction in machining time helps shops maintain competitive advantages, but traditional cutting tool selection can be difficult and time consuming, especially for less-experienced operators,” says Gerrit Kremer, global product manager – digital product services.

As more than one tooling solution can address each machining situation, Suggest also lists alternative products that may be a better fit for a user’s unique prerequisites. For shops that need to optimise thread programming, Suggest accompanies application details with fully optimised CNC code.

Newly optimised for even easier use, Suggest helps shops get cutting data and tooling recommendations quickly and accurately. With this comprehensive solution to their questions about cutting strategies, Seco Tools says that customers can leverage the company’s expertise to achieve their best production results.

For further information
www.secotools.com

Growth in grooving continues

Dormer Pramet has expanded its GL assortment for parting-off and deep grooving applications with a range of tools, double-edged inserts and geometries. The additions provide new tooling options for small part machining and grooving with a shorter overhang. These tools support copy profiling and longitudinal turning in a variety of materials.

The move follows the company’s development of its parting-off and grooving range in November 2019, when Dormer Pramet introduced the 25 mm GL insert and the G8330 PVD grade to provide a versatile and stable option when machining steel, stainless steel and cast iron.

These latest tools include new 12×12 holders to support additional radial operations, accommodating various insert widths and depth-of-cut capabilities. A reinforced brace design provides high rigidity and vibration resistance for good-quality surface finish.
Users can also benefit from set-up time savings due to an easily accessible clamping screw [30° angled] and a one-hand insert replacement feature.

The new Pramet tool holders include the universal GLSF (RL) EXT for an overhang of 24-32 mm and the GLSF (RL) EXT-G for grooving operations with a 10-12 mm overhang. GLSF (RL) EXT-S is the shank tool option and suitable for small parts machining and Swiss lathes. The long GL insert, which achieves 60% deeper capacity over the previous LCMF16 insert, is also now available in two new geometries, GM and MM. Both feature a positive T-land for prolonged tool life due to low cutting forces and reduced risk of built-up edge.

With a round cutting edge, the MM geometry is suitable for turning and copy profiling operations, while the GM geometry is for grooving and longitudinal turning.

For further information
www.dormerpramet.com

MTA president steps down from role

Andy Hodgson, president of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), has regrettably had to step down from the role (and as an MTA board member) for personal reasons. Dave Burley, senior advisor to the board of NCMT and current MTA vice-president, has kindly stepped into the position. James Selka, CEO of the MTA, says: “We are sorry to see Andy retire, but totally respect his decision. We’re incredibly lucky to have a talented and strong board representing our members, and are grateful and delighted to welcome Dave Burley into the role of president.”

For further information
www.mta.org.uk