On its 580 m² stand at last month’s EMO exhibition in Hanover, cutting tool manufacturer Horn showed live machining on four different machine tools. There were a pair of lathes, an Index G220 fixed-head model and a Citizen L12 sliding-head turning centre, while DMG Mori and Grob five-axis machining centres put Horn’s prismatic machining tools through their paces. 

Markus Horn, managing director, said: “We presented machining at the highest level. Demonstrations included high surface finish machining, machining of lead-free materials, aluminium machining with rotating PCD tools, and high technology component production requiring numerous sequential turning operations. In my opinion, the best results are achieved through dialogue and EMO offered the ideal platform for this.”

In addition to live machining, Horn presented numerous tooling innovations. Among them was the Mini system with sintered chip-breaker geometry, which was unveiled for the first time at the Horn Technology Days in May 2025. The sintered I-geometry is aimed at machining materials with poor chip-formation properties. It is suitable for copy turning, longitudinal turning, back turning and facing. 

Especially when taking a shallow depth of during the machining of steels and stainless steels, Horn says the tool system with this geometry demonstrates superior chip control, leading to high process reliability and long tool life. When developing the I-geometry, the company also took into account the machining of lead-free materials, which are being phased out owing to their toxicity. As their replacements pose a challenge due to their inferior chip formation properties, the tool manufacturer offers inserts with small corner radii starting from 0.05 mm for small lateral in-feeds. Corner radii from 0.05 to 0.2 mm are available from stock.More information www.horn-group.com

At commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus’s Nuremberg plant, production of an ultra-efficient new 13-litre diesel engine has begun. As a joint engine platform, it is intended for use across the group. Fine boring tools from MAPAL are used for the cylinder heads, machining valve guide and valve seat blind bores.

As a process planner, Marco Singer is responsible for producing the cylinder heads for the D30 engine, the production of which represents an investment by MAN of €220m. The company has been working with MAPAL for decades. When tendering for the D30 project took place in 2019, the Aalen-based tool manufacturer was again awarded the contract for the fine machining of the valve guide and valve seat bore. This was down to the years of shared experience and a recommendation from the machinery manufacturer Grob, which is responsible for the complete process and tool design. Machining takes place on a double-spindle machine. It is embedded in a linked system with individual Grob machines that are loaded using linear gantries.

A further tool manufacturer was entrusted with fine machining in the project’s initial phase. As a stable and cost-efficient process was not possible with its tools, however, MAN ultimately shifted its full focus to the collaboration with MAPAL.

Singer hails the achievements: “The machining changed fundamentally. For instance, we saved a semi-cut and were able to do without pilot friction.”

A series of joint workshops then set further improvements in Singer’s sights, particularly with regard to unit costs. In fact, compared with the original machining concept, valve seat and valve guide machining costs were reduced by around 40%.

More information www.mapal.com

Kyocera Unimerco‘s new DTD500 is an electric screwdriver and torque wrench combined in one powerful tool. According to the company, the electric insert driver is optimised to speed up insert replacements by up to 50% compared with mechanical tools.

Thanks to its clever two-in-one torque functionality, the DTD500 first loosens and tightens screws electrically and then brings them precisely to the desired tightness with the manually set torque up to 5 Nm. Notably, the torque setting can be adjusted in 0.05 Nm increments.

The DTD500’s grip has a diameter of 50 mm and is designed for optimal ergonomics; the whole assembly only weighs an operator-friendly 570 g. Furthermore, a built-in LED flashlight illuminates the working area for improved visibility.

Kyocera Unimerco‘s new DTD500 features a 970 mAh embedded Li-ion battery which can be conveniently charged via the included USB-C charging cable (adapter sold separately). With one charge, the driver tightens up to 400 screws. The charging time from an empty to a full battery is about 110 minutes.

The electric insert driver comes with five magnetic Torx bits: T8, T15, 8IP, 15IP and 20IP, covering a wide variety of screw sizes. The driver’s chuck capability is 6.35 mm hexagonal flat-to-flat, while its no-load rotation speed is 270 rpm.

The DTD500 (item number TXA00199) is available to order from the company’s web shop or via Kyocera Unimerco‘s retail partners.

More information www.kyocera-unimerco.com

Seco is introducing its .38 Finishing Face Mill system, a selection of cutters engineered for high-precision surface finishing. With ready-to-use simplicity, hybrid flexibility and adjustability, Seco says the system is designed to meet the full spectrum of finishing needs.

The .38 Finishing Face Mill/SNFX1204 system offers three cutter variants – fixed pocket, hybrid and adjustable – each tailored to different levels of control and performance. Whether the priority is achieving consistent surface finishes or minimising set-up effort, the system offers a practical and flexible solution, says Seco.

Offering two insert types to meet different demands – one with an 88° lead angle for near-wall machining and another with a 27° lead angle for high-feed, open-surface work – users can cover a wide range of finishing challenges while keeping operations simple and cost-effective.

The fixed-pocket cutter (R220.38-….-SN-..SA) is suitable for users seeking effortless handling and set-up-free operations. Its tilted screw design ensures insert self-centring and run-out accuracy of 4-15 µm, making it a cost-efficient solution that reduces operator error and training needs.

Seco’s new hybrid cutter (R220.38-….-SN-..CSA) combines fixed and adjustable cassette pockets, allowing it to function as a fixed pocket tool by default. The cassette inserts act like dedicated wiper inserts for enhanced surface finish and, while adjustment is possible, it is unnecessary – offering flexibility without added complexity.

The adjustable cutter (R220.38-….-SN-..HSA) provides control with fine-tuning capabilities that achieve run-out as low as 0-2 µm – suitable for demanding applications where optimal surface finish is non-negotiable.

“With the .38 Finishing Face Mill system, we’ve focused on making high-performance finishing both easy and dependable,” says Tobias Jakobi, product manager for face milling at Seco. “Ease of handling is essential in finishing operations, and this solution gives users the flexibility to meet varying demands – often with just one system where two might have been needed before.”

More information www.secotools.com