At the heart of Hollingworth Design’s subcontract capability in Stockport are two Index bar-fed turn-mill centres, a G200-2 and a C100. These machines, especially the G200-2 with its powerful B-axis and capability of simultaneous cutting with up to four tools, consistently open up many possibilities.
“Any job that can be machined from bar is classed as a turning job, and goes on these machines, even if there is no actual turning involved,” states director Paul Hollingworth.

Applying this philosophy allows cycle times to be drastically reduced, with help from cutting tool supplier Ceratizit UK & Ireland. A good example is one particular component destined for use on superyachts. Initially, Hollingworth Design was using a four-flute 6 mm diameter milling cutter on these 303 stainless steel components. Ceratizit recommended changing this to a five-flute Silverline solid-carbide cutter. Running at 6250 rpm spindle speed, 120 m/min cutting speed and 0.1 mm/rev feed rate with a 1.5 mm step down every rev, the Silverline cutter completed the entire batch of 4000 components without being changed.

“The performance of this cutter simply blew me away,” says Hollingworth. “We achieved a cycle time of 3.5 minutes per component, running the machine 24/7 and meeting all of our customer’s expectations.”

This job is a typical example of the approach that Hollingworth Design takes, to look at every aspect of the application and engineer a process to make improvements. To maximise the benefit for customers, the company looks at batch quantities from 500 upwards, recently completing a single order for 72,000 components. Machining these volumes demands support from Ceratizit in the form of regular visits, along with daily management of tooling through use of a Ceratizit TOM 840 tool-vending system.

For further information
www.ceratizit.com

With the WPP10G, WPP20G and WPP30G grades, Walter presents its new Tiger·tec Gold indexable inserts for turning operations. During development, Walter set out to reduce flank face wear by 30 to 60%.

In reality, tool life increased by an average of 50% according to the results of over 130 customer tests. The primary application is steel with a tensile strength of 600 to 900 N/mm². However, Walter’s new grades can also machine lightweight components made of steel with high tensile strength of 1000 to 1400 N/mm², which are on-trend at the moment.

The indexable inserts are of particular interest to mass producers in the automotive, energy and general engineering sectors, where they significantly reduce cost per component, says Walter. The company is launching the grades with nine geometries across the programme for applications such as optimised chip breaking on long-chipping, low-carbon materials (MP3) and interrupted cutting (RP7).

According to Walter, another key feature of the Tiger·tec Gold inserts for turning is their process reliability. This characteristic, alongside the performance and tool life of the inserts, is the result of their layer structure. A patent-pending, highly textured MT-TiCN layer reduces flank face wear, increases toughness and optimises elasticity. Additionally, a highly textured Al2O3 layer increases the product’s resistance to crater wear, while the gold-coloured top layer improves wear detection.

The final multi-stage post-treatment of the inserts ensures a smooth rake face, less friction and a high level of toughness, reports Walter. Individual alignment of the grades makes the indexable inserts highly versatile: WPP10G for continuous cuts and light interrupted cuts; WPP20G as a universal grade for 50% of applications; and the tough WPP30G grade for interrupted cuts as well as unstable or unfavourable conditions.

For further information
www.walter-tools.com