Cutting tool manufacturer Horn is launching a new product range for the economic machining of brake discs. The range includes solid CBN ISO inserts, mainly for cast iron machining, and CBN-tipped full-radius and shaped inserts. The grade has no metallic bonding phase and therefore offers the highest hot hardness of all cutting materials. Stable tool carriers also feature in the offering.

For machining applications on a brake disc, Horn provides a solid CBN ISO S insert with eight cutting edges. In conjunction with the tool holder, the system is suitable for roughing and finishing. The neutral design of the inserts fully utilises the number of cutting edges. It means that eight cutting edges per ISO insert are available for most turning operations.

Cutting speeds of well over 1000 m/min, depths of cut of several millimetres and feed rates up to 0.7 mm/rev are typical when machining cast iron brake discs using a solid CBN insert. The tool system must be able to maintain high cutting performance and, above all, exhibit long tool life due to the cost per cutting edge of CBN. Depending on the operation and metal removal rate, it is possible to machine well over 1000 cast iron brake discs per insert corner.

Horn offers two different tool solutions for machining the heat dissipation grooves in the disc. The CBN-tipped S117 profile grooving insert is suitable for large batch production in terms of speed and tool longevity. During the process, each groove is produced in just under two seconds in a single operation. For greater flexibility, Horn’s S229 tipped, full-radius inserts offer the option of copy turning the grooves in around four seconds. Regrinding and re-tipping are possible with both types.For further information www.horn-group.com/uk

To overcome various machining challenges and boost productivity, Seco has introduced new extra-long solid-carbide drills,PCBN inserts, round carbide inserts and tool holders. These products are aimed at applications ranging from general ISO turning to high-volume hard turning and deep-hole drilling.

Manufacturers that drill holes at depths from 40xD to 60xD want to lengthen tool life and reduce tooling costs. Here, Seco says that its new X-tra Long solid-carbide drills provide more than 15% more tool life than other available solutions. Innovative tool geometry and coating technology eliminate chipping and sudden breakage, while minimising flank and centre wear.

According to Seco, the company’s two new PCBN insert grades offer optimal performance in the high-volume production of automotive and other industry components. With a substrate grade and proprietary Seco nano-laminate PVD coating,CH1050meets high surface quality requirements, while CH2581 achieves greater process stability and reduced tool breakage with a versatile, forgiving grade for semi-interrupted cuts.

Many round turning inserts suffer from poor chip control, but Seco’s MF2 chipbreaker on RCGT/RCMT inserts maintains favourable chip control at higher speeds and feeds, especially with dynamic turning. One series of stable, durable carbide round insert grades handles a wide range of turning operations from roughing to finish turning.

Seco has also utilised its proprietary 3D-printed coolant clamp to deliver Jetstream Tooling high-pressure cutting fluid directly to the cutting edge. With a range of single-screw coolant clamp options for specific applications and depths of cut, Seco-Capto MTM JETI toolholders for general ISO turningprovide fast set-up and indexing, making chip control less of a challenge on 45° B-axis multi-tasking machines. 
For further information www.secotools.com

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