Seco has introduced two chip-splitter milling inserts that lower the stress on both the machine and cutting tool for improved milling process stability. The Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts for the company’s Turbo cutters – available in five grades for both square shoulder and helical milling cutters – reduce chatter, vibration and stress on manufacturing equipment.

Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts incorporate grooves on both of their cutting edges to minimise chip size and lower cutting forces without reducing cutting data or depth of cut. By keeping chips as small as possible, shops lessen the risk of chip jamming, improving process security and supporting the more effective machining of deep pockets.

Product managers Magnus Engdahl and Michael Davies work in tandem and spearhead the team who developed the inserts. “The Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter milling inserts apply to various machining applications and materials,” says Engdahl.

Davies adds: “The versatility of the inserts makes them suitable for a wide range of industry segments and materials, providing customers with a flexibility.”

Hard-to-reach part features can pose challenges, and even the most robust combinations of machine and tool can struggle with long overhangs. Seco says its chip-splitter inserts overcome these challenges by evacuating chips from deep pockets for improved chip flow. Plus, Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts reduce chatter commonly associated with long-reach applications, resulting in longer tool life and better surface finish.

Thanks to their stability and ability to reduce cutting forces, Turbo 12 and 18 chip-splitter inserts give shops the much needed process security and reliability required for effective unattended machining operations. As a result, shops increase output while also minimising stress on the machine and tool.

More information www.secotools.com

LMT says that one of its principal strengths is the custom design of complex tool solutions. Providing testimony to this statement is the company’s development of four-edged automatically adjustable tools that are said to provide maximum performance, precision, flexibility and process reliability.

Automatically adjustable tools feature movable cutting edges that can be controlled via a drawbar in the tool and slides. They enable the machining of complex component geometries in a single clamping operation and primarily see use in the automotive industry.

The tool system has four cutting edges, a stable, centrifugal force-resistant design and high-precision, complex tool/insert components, allowing high cutting speeds with high precision and surface quality. This capability leads to a reduction in cycle times, resulting in cost savings, reports LMT.

It is possible to adjust the four cutting edges continuously, highly accurately and evenly in the micron range (transmission ratio 1:4), ensuring the precise machining of a wide range of contours and diameters with just one tool. Controllable cutting edges also allow quick and easy tool wear compensation via the machining centre’s control. Manual adjustment is no longer necessary, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

Depending on application conditions and the workpiece material, the cutters can employ indexable inserts with different cutting materials and geometries. For example, inserts with wiper geometry ensure the best surfaces, while PCD-tipped inserts guarantee maximum performance when machining engine components and aluminium housings.

Users can set three parameters on the clamping holder – diameter, length and angle -contributing to better surface finish. The four-edged automatically adjustable tools feature a central channel that directs the coolant specifically to each cutting edge, helping to optimise chip removal, increase productivity and maximise process reliability.More information www.lmt-tools.com

Walter has extended its range of Xtra·tec XT milling cutters to cover diameters 50, 63 and 80 mm with the addition of the M5250 helical mill. The company says that its latest generation of indexable-insert milling cutters is characterised by high performance paired with process reliability.

These capabilities are credit to features like a reinforced insert pocket and insert seat. Moreover, each individual tooth on the M5250 has separate cooling. Walter uses proven, double-edged BC 1605 system inserts on the face of the M5250, and allows users to choose between various corner radii, cutting tool materials and geometries.

The G51 geometry (“the quiet one”) is for applications likely to incur vibration, or for tools with long projection lengths. In contrast, G55W cutting inserts with Walter WaveCut geometry are suitable for titanium components with high volume removal requirements, such as those found in the aerospace industry. Walter uses milling cutter-specific SC 1105 cutting inserts with four cutting edges as peripheral inserts.

In addition to steel, cast iron and materials with difficult cutting properties, the helical milling cutter is also suitable for use on aluminium and other non-ferrous metals. Unlike other fully effective helical milling cutters, Xtra·tec XT milling cutters can also be used for full slotting alongside shoulder milling, pocket milling and ramping.

As well as flexibility and process reliability (thanks to the operational smoothness of the cutter), Walter says the high machining volume results from the effective design of the mill and reduced process costs. These lower costs stem from the two or four useable cutting edges per indexable insert, along with new wear-resistant Tiger·tec cutting tool materials.

More information www.walter-tools.com

Allied Machine and Engineering, a manufacturer of hole-making and finish-cutting tools, has expanded it T-A Pro replaceable-insert drilling line into the Y series. With a diameter range of (9.5-11.09 mm), T-A Pro Y series is available in stub to 15xD and ISO-specific carbide grades P, K, and N, as well as high-speed steel substrate X. 

Adding the Y series to the diameter offering of the T-A Pro line, which has a complete range of (9.5-47.8 mm), gives machine shops using high-speed steel twist drills and conventional style tools the opportunity to upgrade to a better system.

Additionally, for those using solid-carbide tooling, the Y series offers exchangeable tips, eliminating the need for regrinding, while also providing the ability to target specific materials and applications with an ISO-specific geometry selection on a single holder body. Ultimately, T-A Pro Y series benefits smaller scale part runs in various industries because of its favourable cost per hole. 

Like the T-A Pro Z series, the Y series is available in A and B body diameters. Offered in both imperial and metric as well as flat and cylindrical shanks for all length options, the Y series serves as an upgrade to manufacturing processes while also allowing machinists to increase throughput in their machining applications.  

John Weniger, product manager, says: “The T-A Pro line has established itself in the market as a go-to drilling solution that over-delivers on performance, reliability and consistency. The expansion of the T-A Pro drilling line into the Y series allows users to experience the benefits of the T-A Pro line at smaller diameters.” 

More information www.alliedmachine.com