Cutting Tools

Ceratizit heralds MACH 2026 as its best of all time

Ceratizit UK & Ireland has reported its most successful MACH exhibition to date. The company’s stand attracted strong interest throughout the week, with manufacturers visiting to explore the company’s latest cutting tool, tooling management and work-holding technologies.

The exhibition showcased Ceratizit’s machining portfolio across milling, turning, drilling, threading, grooving and parting applications, supported by demonstrations from the company’s UK Technical Centre. Among the standout attractions was the CTC5240 titanium indexable milling system display, developed in collaboration with the University of Sheffield AMRC, Heller Machine Tools and Siemens NX.

Designed specifically for difficult-to-machine materials including titanium, Inconel, Hastelloy and Waspaloy, the CTC5240 grade generated significant attention from engineers attending the exhibition. Ceratizit demonstrated how its proprietary coating technology improves heat resistance, chip formation and tool life in demanding titanium machining operations.

A key highlight was a live machining demonstration using the new RADX porcupine cutter paired with SXHU 120408ER-F41 CTC5240 inserts during a full-slot milling operation in TiAl6V4 titanium alloy. The application achieved a material removal rate of 318.78 cm³/min while benefiting from eight usable cutting edges per insert, creating a highly competitive solution for heavy-duty titanium roughing applications.

The Ceratizit UK & Ireland engineering team is currently working with manufacturers to implement productivity and cost-saving improvements identified during MACH.

The company also continued its long-running MACH charity initiative, with visitors entered into a prize draw to win a Hope HB160 mountain bike in exchange for donations to the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK. Over the past 16 years, the initiative has raised more than £100,000 for the two charities.

More information www.ceratizit.com

Live turning insight for safer, smarter automation

Sandvik Coromant has launched CoroTurn Plus, a sensor-equipped turning adaptor designed to provide real-time process visibility, improve machining stability and support higher levels of automation in turning applications.

The new system enables manufacturers to monitor cutting forces, vibration, chatter and in-cut status in real time, helping operators identify process instability, material variation and tool wear before they impact productivity or component quality. By making machining conditions visible during the cut, CoroTurn Plus is intended to improve process security, reduce waste and support more consistent production.

CoroTurn Plus combines sensor-integrated tooling with two levels of digital capability. When used with CoroPlus Viewer, the system provides live visualisation of machining data via a PC or tablet, allowing operators to track performance trends, receive audible alerts when limits are exceeded and review deviations for faster root-cause analysis. The platform also enables teams to identify insert wear trends more accurately, helping optimise tool life while avoiding unplanned downtime.

For higher levels of automation, CoroTurn Plus integrates with CoroPlus Connected and the machine’s NC control system. Users can define vibration, chatter and load limits directly in the software or NC code. If those limits are exceeded, the machine can automatically trigger protective actions such as stopping, retracting or resuming the process to protect tooling, components and equipment.

According to Åke Åxner, global project manager for machine integration, the technology transforms hidden cutting behaviour into clear process signals, enabling manufacturers to detect instability and react immediately. Product manager Leland Bailey adds that sensor-based tooling provides a practical route towards more advanced automation by converting machining data into safe, machine-controlled actions.

By combining live process monitoring with machine-level integration, CoroTurn Plus aims to support unmanned machining, improve machine utilisation and deliver greater consistency across turning operations.

More information www.sandvik.coromant.com

Rainford Precision: “MACH gets better every time”

“Every MACH exhibition keeps improving on its predecessor,” said Miles Evans, managing director of Rainford Precision, following a successful week at the show.

As a specialist in micro machining, Rainford Precision attended the exhibition to showcase its portfolio of tooling solutions for small-part machining, hard material applications and composite machining. Representing globally recognised brands including Union Tool, Louis Bélet, IWATA, Hufschmied, Delmeco, HOBE and Osawa, the company attracted strong interest.

According to Rainford, many visitors arrived at the stand after struggling to find tooling elsewhere at the exhibition capable of meeting the precision, dimensional accuracy and material demands required by their applications. The company’s range of micro-machining solutions demonstrated capabilities for producing extremely small features and drilling difficult materials beyond the scope of conventional tooling systems.

Particular interest was shown in Union Tool’s HGLB, HWLB, HWLB-S and CWLB series of two-flute ball-nose end mills for machining materials up to 60 HRc. With radii from 0.05 to 3 mm, diameter tolerances of 0/-0.006 mm and ball radius accuracy of ±0.002 mm, the tooling highlighted the level of precision increasingly demanded across industry.

Rainford also introduced the Louis Bélet Excalibur series at MACH for the first time. Featuring inserts brazed to carbide bodies with laser-machined helical geometries, the tooling offers significantly extended tool life compared with solid carbide alternatives, while supporting diameters as small as 0.1 mm.

For manufacturers in aerospace, motorsport, mould and die, and defence, IWATA Tool’s deep-hole drilling technology also attracted strong attention, particularly the ALT-coated three-flute drills capable of achieving H7 tolerances in materials up to 72 HRc.

Evans concluded: “MACH consistently generates a high volume of high-quality leads from manufacturers new to Rainford Precision, and we’re already converting enquiries from the exhibition into new business.”

More information www.rainfordprecision.com

Rising carbide prices: When cermet makes sense

As pressure on global raw material supply chains continues to intensify, manufacturers are increasingly reassessing how cutting tool materials are used throughout the machining process. According to Tungaloy Corporation, carbide remains essential for heavy roughing applications, but its use is not always technically necessary in finishing operations where cutting loads are significantly lower.

In many finishing applications, the focus shifts away from maximum toughness towards process stability, surface quality and efficient material usage. Under these conditions, cermet provides a practical and engineered alternative capable of reducing carbide consumption without compromising machining performance.

Finishing operations typically involve shallow depths of cut, high cutting speeds and continuous or lightly interrupted machining conditions. These are precisely the environments where cermet performs most effectively. Developed from ceramic and metallic components, cermet grades are specifically engineered to deliver high wear resistance, predictable tool life and excellent surface finish in stable machining conditions.

Tungaloy’s cermet range is designed for finishing and light semi-finishing applications in steels and alloy steels. The NS9530 grade provides a balanced combination of wear resistance and toughness for stable finishing operations, while GT9530 is optimised for precision finishing applications where surface quality is critical. The AT9530 grade has been developed specifically for alloy steels, delivering consistent machining performance in continuous cutting conditions.

Rather than attempting to replace carbide universally, Tungaloy emphasises that cermet should be viewed as part of a smarter material allocation strategy. When matched correctly to the application, cermet can help manufacturers reduce dependence on carbide resources, maintain stable productivity and improve overall process efficiency.

More information www.tungaloy.com

Tooling Intelligence delivers strong performance at MACH

Tooling Intelligence has reported a highly successful MACH 2026 following strong interest in its inventory management technologies at the UK’s flagship manufacturing exhibition in Birmingham.

With manufacturers under increasing pressure to improve efficiency while controlling costs, the company used the exhibition to demonstrate how its range of inventory control and asset management solutions can help eliminate waste, reduce downtime and improve accountability across production environments.

Managing director Richard Swaffield said: “It was great to be back at MACH showcasing our inventory management solutions powered by SupplyPro. We were delighted to welcome a high volume of visitors to our stand to discuss how we can support them with their inventory control challenges. The continued rise in cutting tool prices and wider consumable costs means manufacturers are now placing greater emphasis on stock visibility, accountability and automation.”

Among the technologies attracting strong attention was the SmartBin weight-based inventory management system, which provides real-time stock visibility and automated replenishment for consumables including tooling. The SmartDrawer vending solution also proved popular, offering compact, high-capacity storage with individual item control and rapid refill functionality to minimise administration and improve uptime.

The company also showcased its SupplyVend locker systems for managing critical assets such as power tools, laptops and calibrated equipment, as well as the SupplyBay dispensing system for larger industrial consumables and rechargeable equipment.

All systems operate through Tooling Intelligence’s cloud-based SupplySystem intelligent software platform, providing 24/7 reporting, transaction tracking and remote support.

Swaffield concluded: “MACH gave us access to manufacturers actively looking to reduce waste, improve productivity and gain greater control over inventory costs. The response to our solutions was extremely positive, and we look forward to building new partnerships following the exhibition.”

More information www.toolingintelligence.co.uk