NCB100 from Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal is a newly developed cutting tool material specifically for hard-to-machine, high-specification workpiece materials. The use of NCB100 enables tool life to be increased by a factor up to 50 times when compared with more traditional carbide cutting inserts, says the company.

Sumitomo has introduced its first cutting insert produced from NCB100, an ultra-hard binder-less polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (BL-PCBN) cutting material, using a newly devised method of direct conversion sintering. Binders and the volumes used in producing cutting inserts can have a significant influence on mechanical and thermal properties, and hence performance, an area that Sumitomo’s binder-less development is said to overcome.
NCB100 has high levels of hardness, strength and thermal conductivity that will surpass conventionally sintered PCBN compacts containing binder materials, says Sumitomo. As a result, NCB100 creates high orders of wear resistance and stability from the cutting edge of the insert. This capability is critical when machining difficult, non-ferrous materials such as titanium alloys, cemented carbides, hard ceramics, and Ni-based heat-resisting and cobalt-chrome (Cr-Co) alloys used in medical applications.
Sumitomo reports that NCB100 has been proven in finish-turning trials against established carbide grades, where significant levels of tool life improvements have been achieved despite inserts being run at cutting speeds up to 200 m/min. The material has also been found to be highly stable when finish-turning Co-Cr alloys used, for instance, in medical hip joints. In addition, the insert material can be applied to
high-speed milling applications such as the finishing of titanium alloys and nickel-based heat-resisting alloys, at speeds up
to 700 m/min.
For further information www.sumitomotool.com

An East Sussex manufacturer of precision components that help universities and government laboratories complete ground-breaking experiments, has enjoyed a major production boost. UHV Design, which employs 50 people at its facility in Laughton, has tapped into the expertise of Hyfore to equip its new five-axis Quaser MF500UH with a dedicated tooling system.

Working closely together, the two companies identified a £30,000 Acrow tool-holding package. The Hyfore solution focuses on interchangeable NR collets that can be used exclusively on the Quaser machine. NR collets tend to be smaller in diameter, offering greater contact with components, improved tool life and the ability to move freely around tight clearance spaces.
David Heward, machine shop manager at UHV Design, which is part of AIM-listed Judges Scientific, says: “The Quaser MF500UH was equipped with a 15,000 rpm ‘face and taper’ spindle and a 48-station carousel that allows us to store 80% of all our tools in one machine – ideal for reducing changeover times and reducing secondary operations. However, to make the most of it we needed to find the right tooling system, and that is where Hyfore came into its own. Their engineers spent a lot of time at our facility looking at the components we were planning to machine, before identifying the best package.”
Oli Riley, product specialist at Hyfore, adds: “This is the largest single order placed for an Acrow package to date. Importantly, it also shows how we can work with specialist manufacturers like UHV to understand its production challenges and come up with flexible solutions.”
For further information www.hyfore.com