British luxury watch manufacturer Bremont made the most of a strategic partnership between Sandvik Coromant and DMG Mori as it introduced a turnkey manufacturing cell to double capacity at its factory in Henley-on-Thames.

High demand and the launch of six new watch designs meant that Bremont’s production capacity had to be increased, leading the company to purchase a DMG Mori NTX 1000 turn-mill machine equipped with tool packages from Sandvik Coromant.

DMG Mori’s NTX 1000 is equipped with a magazine for 38 Coromant Capto tools, with the option of expanding the capacity up to 76. The machine is suitable for turning and high-speed milling in five axes, simultaneously.

Frederick Shortt (application technician at DMG Mori) and his development team created and simulated the NC programs with Vericut software.
“Together with Sandvik Coromant we optimised all of the programs in such a way that as few tools as possible are required,” he says. In other words, Bremont only bought the tools it really needed. As this all took place before installation, Bremont was able to start producing from day one.

“This joint optimisation meant that any teething problems were reduced to a minimum and the investment quickly paid-off for Bremont,” adds James Rhys-Davies, strategic relations director, northern Europe at Sandvik Coromant.

Malcolm Kent, production manager at Bremont, says: “We produce very complex parts with tolerances of 3 to 5 µm, where quality and precision are of paramount importance. Thanks to the NTX 1000 in combination with Sandvik Coromant tools, the processes are absolutely trouble-free.”

For further information www.sandvik.coromant.com

Tooling expert Walter GB has announced additions to two product ranges that will generate benefits in deep-hole drilling and turning. The company’s solid-carbide X-treme Evo drill now extends to capacities of 16-30xD and offers deep-hole drilling without the need for pecking, while new CBN insert grades for machining ISO K and H materials complete the company’s CBN turning range.

Part of the DC160 Advance range of drills – the successor to Walter’s Alpha 4xD drills – the new drills have optimised coating and geometry. Also featured is a thinner web with 140° point angle, while the fourth land is in an ‘advanced position’. The former ensures increased positioning accuracy and reduced centralised cutting forces; the latter optimises drill guidance. Furthermore, polished flutes optimise chip evacuation.

The drill grades (WJ30ET and WJ30EU) are also new. These grades comprise the K30F fine-grained substrate and a TiSiAlCrN/AlTiN multi-layer coating (as a point or as a complete coating). The layer structure makes the drills both tough and wear-resistant, as well as playing a crucial role in process reliability and performance. Walter offers the drills in intermediate sizes and in special dimensions, on request, via its fast-delivery Xpress service.

For turning, the new CBN indexable insert grades for ISO H and ISO K materials are WBK20 for finishing cast iron and WBK30 for high metal-removal rates in hardened steels (and for finishing with a heavily interrupted cut). Both grades are also suitable for roughing and finishing sintered steel. Walter offers the new grades in all of the most popular ISO sizes and radii.

For further information www.walter-tools.com

Kennametal has expanded its replaceable drill offer for the KenTIP FS modular drill series with the new FEG insert for flat-bottom hole applications.

Applicable in steel, cast iron and stainless steels, the FEG insert eliminates end-milling operations and completes tasks in a single operation, saving time and tooling costs.
Drilling flat-bottom holes is a challenge. So is drilling on inclined or curved surfaces, drilling into cross holes, drilling stacked plates or castings, and other parts with rough surfaces. However, leveraging the success of its KenTIP FS modular drill, Kennametal has developed a proprietary insert geometry (FEG) that streamlines many of these application types and simplifies counter-bore and pilot-hole drilling.

Conceptually, the FEG geometry design is simple; it features a 180° cutting edge and a conical centre point that acts as a pilot to provide exceptional hole position and straightness. Corner chamfers serve to protect the cutting edges and reduce exits burrs, while four margin lands provide stability when breaking into interrupted cuts and cross-holes. Kennametal’s KCP15A grade uses a nano-structured AlTiN coating and fine-grain carbide substrate, providing both toughness and wear resistance when drilling steel, stainless steel and cast iron.

The diameter range covers 6-26 mm, while drilling depth of up to 12xD is possible depending on the KenTIP FS modular drill body.
Aside from the one-step drilling of flat-bottom holes, KenTIP FS-FEG is said to excel at drilling through cross-holes, inclined exits, and for use as a pilot drill in deep-hole applications up to 12xD.

For further information www.kennametal.com

Kennametal has introduced a new line of digital-ready fine boring tools that is said to make precision adjustment easy, enabling more productive, predictable and accurate boring.

The eBore fine-boring system consists of cutting units to cover a diameter range from 6 to 1020 mm, and an optional digital display that makes precision adjustments as simple as turning a screw.
“For many workpieces, the boring operation is often the final step, and a simple mistake can lead to scrapped parts,” says global product manager Marcus Paul. “The eBore does away with the traditional ´count the graduations´ approach to boring and reduces costly mistakes. We’ve found there is tremendous operator acceptance due to its simplicity and ease-of-use. And because the same eBore digital device can be used across multiple types of tools and on various machines, it’s easy on the budget.”
Offering no-mistake adjustments and accuracy to within 2 µm, Kennametal´s eBore digital device is an optional – though extremely useful – part of the Kennametal digital boring system. The chip and coolant-resistant device contains a glass scale that keeps track of boring-bar movement. Simply snap it in place, turn the boring head’s adjustment screw by the desired amount, and the tool is ready for the next boring operation.
Ultimately, with eBore, there is no need to remove the boring head from the spindle for adjustment, nor to count graduations or take notes. Concerns over backlash and movement due to overtightening of the boring head’s locking screw are a thing of the past, as are endless test cuts and ‘sneaking up on the bore’. The result is less scrap, less downtime and faster set ups. The device shuts off automatically after 30 seconds and provides more than 5000 adjustments between battery changes.
For further information www.kennametal.com

Mapal has introduced a completely new line of solid-carbide end mills – the OptiMill-3D series – which has been specially developed for the tool and mould-making industry. Along with extremely heat-resistant coatings and special carbide substrates, the new cutting tools are characterised by dimensions and geometries specifically adapted to mould making.

Suitable for milling hard parts in the domain of 45 to 66 HRc, the OptiMill-3D-HF-Hardened is offered with four or six cutting edges. Mapal has developed the two variants for high-feed milling on particularly challenging materials. In addition, to optimise performance and longevity on challenging tasks like interrupted cutting, the company has developed special face geometry.
The four-flute tool is the primary choice for roughing and pre-finishing. Available from 2 to 16 mm diameter, the four-flute tool is suitable for long overhang applications such as machining in deep cavities.
Also designed for roughing and pre-finishing, the six-flute series is said to demonstrate impressive characteristics when finishing flat surfaces with a high feed rate. Moreover, with a PVD coating, the tool dissipates heat generation to ensure tool life is prolonged. Available from 6 to 16 mm diameter, the OptiMill-3D-HF-Hardened is complemented by the three and four-flute OptiMill-3D-HF for softer material machining.
Also new to the solid carbide range is the new OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened with a corner radius. Suitable for finishing 3D mould tools up to a hardness of 66 HRc, this line produces smooth, high-gloss surface finishes when machining at maximum feed rates. Offered in diameters from 4 to 12 mm with accurate corner radii of 0.5, 1 and 2 mm, the PVD coated OptiMill-3D-CR-Hardened is available with a selection of different lengths to suit the machining demands of users.
For further information www.mapal.com