With the new Drion·tec D-Spade D5142 exchangeable-tip drill, Walter is launching the world’s first drill of its kind with a double-sided indexable insert. The special feature is the flank face of the first cutting edge. This serves as a support surface for the second cutting edge that doubles the service life of the exchangeable tip and reduces the costs per metre of drilling.

Designed for cost efficiency, the drill comes in diameters from 12 to 32 mm and cutting lengths from 3xD to 8xD. Four lands and the self-centring point geometry ensure high precision and smooth surface quality of the hole. Furthermore, exact centring, straightness and diameter tolerance are guaranteed.

Ground and polished chip clearance spaces optimise chip evacuation and increase process reliability. Six coolant outlets ensure precision cooling on the cross-cutting edge, main cutting edge and circumference on both teeth. The combination of fine-grain substrate and the gold-coloured HiPIMS coating of the DS42 indexable insert enables high levels of wear resistance and easy wear detection.

The symmetrical design of the double-use exchangeable tips not only doubles tool life but also reduces the amount of carbide used per cutting edge by 45% compared with conventional drills on the market, reports Walter. The company is therefore positioning the Drion·tec D-Spade D5142 as the new standard for both cost-conscious and sustainable hole-making. The drill is particularly suitable for mass manufacturers machining steel and cast-iron materials, such as in the automotive, energy or rail industries.

More information www.walter-tools.com

As of January 2026, the leading North American end mill brand of Harvey Performance Co, Helical Solutions, is available to European customers. According to Harvey Performance, Helical has earned a reputation in North America as the benchmark for advanced machining, delivering material-specific, high-performance end mills trusted by manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, medical and other production-driven industries.

With its European debut, Helical is not only bringing proven innovation across the Atlantic but also building upon its successful North American product line up with a fully re-engineered, metric-focused range designed specifically for European applications. Produced locally in the Netherlands and supported by rapid regional fulfilment, this next generation of Helical tooling ensures machinists gain category-defining performance while strengthening the competitiveness of European manufacturing.

“Helical has proven its performance across North America, and this launch ensures machinists in Europe experience the same advantages,” says Jerry Gleisner, senior vice president of sales at Harvey Performance Co.

John Gibbons, president of Harvey Performance Co Europe, adds: “By producing locally in the Netherlands, supplying in metric and partnering closely with distributors, we’re not just bringing Helical to Europe, we’re also giving European manufacturers the same competitive edge trusted by the world’s most advanced industries.”

Helical’s European launch began with a curated portfolio of its most in-demand high-performance end mills, specifically engineered in metric dimensions. The range includes tools for finishing, roughing, high-efficiency milling and specialised applications in aerospace and medical machining. Customers also have access to Helical’s established technical resources, including downloadable tool libraries for CAM software, performance calculators, and application guides.

Helical’s European sales strategy combines digital enablement with close distributor partnerships, connecting growing end-user demand with trusted local supply. Customers can now request a Helical Solutions catalogue.

More information www.helicaltool.com/find-a-distributor

MAPAL is expanding its NeoMill milling cutter product range for the semi-finishing and finishing of steel and cast iron workpieces, as well the roughing aluminium components. According to the company, all three milling cutter series – NeoMill 16 Finish, NeoMill 16 Face and NeoMill Alu Rough – stand for high cost-effectiveness, process reliability and sustainable manufacturing.

The NeoMill-16-Finish was developed for finishing tasks where requirements on surface finish and dimensional accuracy are high. With the combination of the ONMU05 pre-machining insert featuring 16 cutting edges and the OFGW07 indexable insert with eight cutting edges for finishing, MAPAL says it offers a system with complete process reliability. The face milling cutters are available in standard sizes in the diameter range from 63 to 200 mm and enable easy setting of the finishing inserts. Surface qualities of up to Rz 4 µm are possible.

The NeoMill-16-Face is joining the portfolio for pre-machining. Cost-effectiveness is in focus here, too: the ONMU05 plate with 16 cutting edges ensures low cost per part and stable machining. The tools are available in diameters from 32 to 100 mm and are particularly suitable for series production of cast-iron and steel components with low stock removal (up to 2 mm).

With the NeoMill-Alu-Rough shoulder mill and shell end face milling cutter, MAPAL offers an innovative solution for roughing cast aluminium components in the automotive, aerospace and mechanical engineering industries. In the standard range, milling cutters with a single row of inserts are available at diameters from 50 to 160 mm. The NeoMill-Alu-Rough is available with multiple rows of inserts as a shell end face milling cutter in diameters of 63, 80 and 100 mm.

More information www.mapal.com