Cutting Tools

High-feed mills for challenging applications

Milling challenging materials like tough steels, stainless steels, superalloys and titanium causes built-up or notched edges and broken inserts that increase tooling costs and cause unexpected downtime. To overcome these challenging ISO P, M and S materials, the next-generation Seco High Feed SP milling system features a combination of dedicated cutting geometries and insert grades, as well as optimised lead angles that combine to boost material removal rates, maximise chip evacuation and extend tool life.

According to Seco, one High Feed SP tool can handle a complete range of high-feed milling operations and materials. The tool optimises such operations as copy milling, ramping, pocketing, face milling and plunging to further reduce tooling inventories.

“Premature tool wear increases job costs and leads to unexpected machine downtime that lengthens production time,” says Benoît Patriarca, global product manager -high feed milling at Seco Tools. “The combination of dedicated cutting geometries and grades with optimised lead angles of the High Feed SP system allows for faster machining to shorten job turnaround times, while also providing a superior price-to-performance ratio.”

Designed for ease of use, High Feed SP milling tools provide simple fool-proof insert indexing that prevents operator mistakes, unexpected machine downtime and scrapped parts. Plus, users can quickly access product information through the Seco data matrix code scanning.

Seco offers a comprehensive range of High Feed SP tool sizes. The series includes:SP10 – two geometries, 10 grades, 32 to 63mm diameter; SP14 – two geometries, 10 grades, 50 to 100mm diameter; and SP18 – two geometries, 10 grades, 63 to 160mm diameter.
For further information www.secotools.com/milling

Major progress in external reaming of turned parts

The mass production of precise turned workpieces on multi-spindle automated lathes is subject to its own rules. In a hotly contested market, it is necessary to take every tiny opportunity for cost reduction, as Oberrindal-based WE Schultz, a customer of cutting tool specialist Mapal, can testify.

“As a true mass producer of comparably simple parts, we have to be able to compete in terms of price and quality with competitors from Asia here in Switzerland,” says Alexander Jaksch, deputy head of the turning shop.

A key lever in this ideology is the support of external partners such as cutting tool suppliers.
“Ultimately, the tools for a machine tool are as important as the tyres on a car,” states Jaksch.

The potential available here has been demonstrated to decision-makers at WE Schultz by a custom tool developed and subsequently optimised by Mapal.

“This project was about a part that seemed rather simple on the surface, a sleeve turned from solid with a diameter of almost 15 mm and a length of 10 mm,” says Emil Hugentobler, machine fitter at the Oberrindal plant. However, there are two crucial sticking points: a narrow diameter tolerance of 14.7 mm +12/-2 µm, and exceptionally low surface roughness of only Rz = 6 µm.

“In this situation we became aware of Mapal’s external reamers, particularly a custom tool for external reaming,” recalls Alexander Hildt,head of manufacturing. This external reamer is equipped with three guide pads and an adjustable indexable insert. The key advantage of the solution is that the outer dimensions of the workpiece are represented by the inner dimensions of the tool. Therefore, machine-related influencing factors such as increased play in the machine kinematics or the bearing of the spindle or chuckbecome practically irrelevant.
For further information www.mapal.com

New grades facilitate high feeds on tough metals

Horn has introduced two carbide grades for inserts used in its DAH82 and DAH84 high-feed milling systems, enabling their use for a wider range of materials. The expansion gives customers the ability to choose grades best adapted to their applications.

The new SC6A grade is suitable for machining materials in the ISO M group (stainless steels), as well as ISO S materials (superalloys) as a secondary application. The new IG6B grade is for machining ISO P materials (steels), while it is also suitable as a multi-purpose grade for other material categories, as is the pre-existing SA4B substrate.

With eight usable cutting edges, the sintered inserts offer a competitive price per cutting edge and hence economical machining. The positive geometry ensures a soft, quiet cut as well as good chip flow. Notably, the large radius of the insert’s main cutting edge also promotes a soft cut and,alongside an even distribution of cutting forces, ensuring long tool life.

In terms of machining parameters, the maximum cutting depth is 1 mm (DAH82) and 1.5 mm (DAH84). The DAH82 variant is available as an end mill and as a screw-in milling cutter in the following diameters: 20 (z = 2), 25 (z = 3), 32 (z = 4), 35 (z = 4) and 40 mm (z = 5), where z denotes the number of inserts. As a shell mill, it is available in diameters of 40 (z = 5), 42 (z = 5) and 50 mm (z = 6).

For diameters of 50 mm and more, the larger DAH84 system is first choice. The variants are available only as shell mills in the following diameters: 50 (z = 4), 52 (z = 4), 63 (z = 5), 66 (z = 5), 80 (z = 6), 85 (z = 6), 100 (z = 7) and 125 mm (z = 8).
For further information www.phorn.co.uk

High performance at low cost per edge

So that customers can meet customer demand for lower part prices, the new Seco Helical SN8-13 milling system features double-sided helix inserts with eight cutting edges that significantly reduce cost per edge to boost slotting, side milling and circular rough milling efficiency.

Built for difficult applications involving ISO P, M, K and S materials, the cutters offer application-specific sub-family designs featuring left or right-hand helixes, half- or full-effective teeth options, two front insert and many radii choices for long tool life and maximum chip evacuation. Reliable and user friendly, the Helical SN8-13 also eliminates incorrect indexing of front and helix inserts, reducing operator error.

“The demand for price reductions is ongoing and forces shops to economise production operations wherever possible, while still maintaining part quality and profit margins,” explains Benoît Patriarca, global product manager – helical milling at Seco Tools. “With the Helical SN8-13 system’s design combined with high-performance insert geometries and grades, they can achieve all these goals with one tool.”

Incorrectly indexed inserts can lead to machine downtime, quality issues and scrap. To eliminate the risk of mistakes, the SN8-13 milling system cutters make the mounting of front and helix inserts easy and fool-proof, even for inexperienced operators.

As an economical alternative to milling products for depths-of-cut from 50 up to 100 mm, Seco offers the Helical SN8-13 in a range of sub-families built with its SN13 helix inserts, including: R217/220.82 (XO16 lead insert for standard use); R217/220.82-H (AC15 lead insert for heavy-duty applications); R217/220.81 (AC15 lead insert for low power situations); and R217/220.81-K (AC15 lead insert for weak fixture situations).
For further information www.secotools.com

CBN insert proves decisive at hydropower specialist

Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon (Gilkes), a specialist in the design and manufacture of hydropower turbines and pumps, is constantly looking at new, more exotic materials to help reduce wear and extend operating times.

Says Derek Thomas, Gilkes’ production engineering manager: “Most recently we utilised tungsten carbide coatings on the runner systems within our turbines. This development posed challenges to our in-house production team, who worked closely with our tooling supplier Ceratizit to achieve the desired result.”

The part in question was a 600 mm diameter F35 Super Duplex ring that was subject to abrasion from sediment. Ceratizit recommended a new CTBH 40U CBN grade insert, which was developed specifically for turning hardened materials, especially where intermittent cutting was an issue. Two inserts were ordered and delivered the next day and, with cutting data of 210 m/min surface speed and 0.12 mm/rev feed rate with a 0.25 mm depth of cut, it was put to the test.

“The result was superb, just one insert was needed to complete the machining operation and the surface finish generated was excellent,” says production engineer Justine Marshall. “The insert cut the tungsten-carbide coating like a dream.”

The suggestion of the CBN CTBH 40U insert is typical of the support offered to customers by Ceratizit UK & Ireland’s time-served technical sales engineers and applications engineering teams, who can call on over 100,000 products in the standard catalogue to solve specific problems. In the case of Gilkes, Ceratizit visits on a fortnightly basis to discuss any upcoming requirements and service the two Ceratizit tool-vending machines on site. One of these vendors is the latest TOM 840 unit capable of storing up to 840 individual items.
For further information www.ceratizit.com