Ceratizit has received the Prix de l’Environnement 2023 from Luxembourg industry association FEDIL for the process used to manufacture carbide grades in the upGRADE product family. By using secondary raw materials from an optimised recycling process, upGRADE carbide grades not only offer a particularly low carbon footprint, but also the high performance of a premium carbide grade.

“Mining ore containing tungsten at a content of 0.06%means it requires the transportation of around 200 tonnes of ore to obtain 1 tonne of metallic tungsten, which requires a lot of energy,” explains Dr Ralph Useldinger, head of group analytics and fundamental R&D. “This is why Ceratizit only uses secondary raw materials from the zinc recycling process for our upGRADE grades in order to minimise the carbon footprint of the products.”

The zinc deployed to break up the carbide structures is reused, meaning that the process produces emissions almost exclusively as a result of the necessary electricity. However, Ceratizit also scores points in this area: “Since the beginning of 2023, we’ve only been purchasing green electricity from sustainable sources,” saysexecutive board member Frank Thomé, who adds: “The upGRADE product family is an important component of our sustainability strategy. They prove that more sustainable carbide products are possible without having to compromise on performance.”

The upGRADE product portfolio currently includes the CT-GS20Y carbide grade for metalworking, which has already won the Best of Industry Award. It forms the vanguard of a product family that, according to Thomé, is set to become increasingly sustainable in the coming years: “Our goal is to be the leader in sustainability in the cemented carbide and cutting tool industry by 2025.”

For further information www.ceratizit.com

Tungaloy is adding 146 new solid-carbide mini boring bars to its TinyMiniTurn series. The new mini bars are available in a wear- and fracture-resistant grade SH725, and with through-coolant.

TinyMiniTurn incorporates a variety of small-diameter boring tools, including solid-carbide mini boring bars for as small as 0.6 mm diameter boring and boring bars with a brazed CBN tip. The series also offers an indexable solution which comes with a tiny insert featuring an optimised pressed-in chipbreaker, enabling boring down to 5 mm diameter.

Tungaloy’s TinyMiniTurn solid-carbide miniboring bar line includes10 different geometry types for internal turning, profiling, grooving, deep facing and thread-turning operations. Furthermore, the JBBS-4N tool sleeve designed to hold TinyMiniTurn solid-carbide boring bars features four periphery coolant outlets situated on the tool periphery that direct the coolant to the optimal positions close to the cutting zone. This capability provides improved coolant supply and predictable tool life, reports the company.

The new solid-carbide mini boring bars are available in SH725 grade, a PVD-coated grade that Tungaloy says provides the boring bars with an excellent balance of wear and chipping resistance. In combination with through-coolant, the boring bars enable high-performance chip evacuation and long tool life. The use of JBBS-4N tool sleeve will further improve chip evacuation for minimum machine downtime by preventing chips from ‘bird nesting’ around the tool and workpiece, which is a common cause of machine stoppages.For further information www.tungaloy.com

Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) is further enhancing its portfolio of bore machining products with the expansion of the Big Kaiser EWN monoblock range. The ability to improve productivity and performance arrives thanks to the introduction of Big Kaiser’s Smart Damper technology, which reduces chatter and, subsequently, cycle times.

The EWN Monoblock fine boring heads now include the new CK1 and CK2 products for the machining of diameters from 20 to 36mm and 25 to 47mm, respectively. The full EWN monoblock family of products ranges from the smallest CK1 to the largest CK7,today supporting fine boring from 20mm to over 200mm in diameter.

The Smart Damper mechanism helps to absorb vibration, essentially eliminating chatter and thereby achieving higher levels of precision with superior surface finishes. Thanks to its inherently stiffer design, ITC says the Monoblock boring head ensures high precision even when machining long bores.

EWN Monoblock CK1 and CK2 heads do not have an interface, enabling users to achieve significantly tighter tolerances. A major advantage of Big Kaiser’s Smart Damper technology is that it eliminates the need to reduce cutting speedsin order to manage vibration. This categorically increases metal removal rates and raises productivity levels.

 
Giampaolo Roccatello, chief sales andmarketing officer for Europe at Big Kaiser, says: “These new boring heads are ideal for achieving deep, chatter-free boring in challenging materials. Together with our EWB and EWB-UP ranges, the EWN boring heads represent some of the most advanced and sophisticated tools available on the market.”

For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

Mapal has carefully examined critical components of the fluid power industry and their potential for complete machining. An example is axial piston pumps and motors, a central component of which is the cylinder block, made either of steel (C45 or 42CrMoS4) or spheroidal cast iron (EN-GJS-500-7 or EN-GJL-400-15. Mapal experts have developed a solution that reduces the machining time for a customer’s cylinder blockby 19%.

“One customer was struggling with high costs for manufacturing cylinder blocks,” says Tobias Stolz, component manager for general machining at Mapal. “A great deal of effort was required to ensure the defined surfaces, which had to be between Rz = 27 and 37 µm, as well as the high quality of liners with tolerances for roundness, straightness and parallel alignment of 3 µm.”

The customer today machines the pressure and suction kidney with the Mapal OptiMill-Uni-Pocket solid-carbide milling cutter as part of a new process. This tool supports the boring operation by way of inclined plunging. The machining of these inlets and outlets therefore does not require any other tools.

A step drill with Tritan-Drill geometry offers similar benefits when pre-machining the piston bores, dispensing with the requirement for a spot face. Furthermore, thanks to sharp cutting edges, the bottom of the bore no longer requires deburring. The multi-stage Mapal fine-boring tool ensures optimal quality before pressing in the brass bush. It is not only very precise during machining but also particularly economical thanks to the HX insert’s six cutting edges. These three tools alone reduce machining time by 19% compared with the previous method.

“We offer our customers economical processing solutions to their machining challenges for all functionally relevant parts in the fluid power industry,” summarisesStolz.

For further information www.mapal.com

Walter is launching its patent-pending Tiger·tec Gold WSM33G grade: the company’s first PVD grade to accommodate the high loads that occur during grooving operations. The cutting tool material combines third-generation TiAlN with TiSiN to form a multi-layer coating with exceptional hardness and increased toughness, reports Walter.

A special post-treatment reduces friction and ensures a smooth surface, thereby optimising chip removal and process reliability. Furthermore, the gold top layer makes it easier for users to detect wear. Walter uses the new PVD coating on single-edged SX cutting inserts with positive engagement and a self-clamping system. It is also applicable to indexable inserts from the double-edged DX18 system, where a second prism ensures stability in the insert seat.

For manufacturers, the fact that this grade is usable with both systems delivers maximum versatility as it caters for all insert widths from 1.0 to 10mm. Another advantage of the Tiger·tec Gold WSM33G grade is its adaptability, even under challenging conditions. Walter says the universal grade is suitable for 75% of all applications, including grooving and parting-off, groove and copy turning,and slot milling.

The system can undertake these operations on a range of materials, including steel (ISO P30), stainless steel (ISO M30) and materials with difficult cutting properties (ISO S30). Offering universal application, long tool life and high resistance of the multi-layer coating against plastic deformation and flank face wear, Walter says that its WSM33G grooving inserts are a productive and reliable choice.

For further information www.walter-tools.com