Over the past 35 years, the Supermini universal boring system from Horn has undergone numerous development stages to solve problems in a variety of turning applications. The latest enhancement for the Supermini type 105 is a lower cost version of the solid-carbide inserts with chip-breaking geometry included at the sintering stage, rather than laser cutting or grinding them afterwards. Indeed, the price of the new Supermini is similar to that of the standard insert without geometry.

As with these previous machined chip breakers, the new sintered geometry avoids the drawback of long, stringy swarf coiling around the tool or workpiece and potentially causing damage to both. It assists with the internal machining of small diameter holes, whether boring, profile turning, internal grooving, threading, chamfering, face grooving or slot broaching.

Horn developed teardrop shaped carbide blanks for the tool, enabling large, precise contact surfaces in the tool holder and resulting in greater rigidity of the overall system. The teardrop profile also prevents the insert from twisting, which leads to consistent, precise positioning of the centre height of the tool. When using long tool overhangs, it reduces deflection and minimises vibration during turning.

Horn offers the inserts as standard in three lengths (15.0, 20.0 and 25.0 mm) and in carbide grades TH35 and IG35. The tool is suitable for use from a bore diameter of 6 mm, while the edge geometry extends far into the 0.2 mm corner radius of the insert, ensuring good chip control even with small infeed settings. It is possible to process different material groups and the geometry is suitable for internal, face, copy and back turning.More information www.phorn.co.uk

Walter Tools is raising its profile for the machining of lightweight components with the
arrival of its new FMT competence brand. The machining solutions provider is bringing
together its global presence and the technical expertise of lightweight machining specialist
FMT (Frezite Metal Tooling).
In the overall share of processed materials in the manufacturing industry, the proportion of
lightweight materials such as aluminium alloys continues to grow significantly. Machining
specialist Walter has therefore been consistently expanding this area of its portfolio for a
number of years.
The new Walter FMT competence brand showcases the importance of lightweight
machining for Walter to its global customer base and wider industry. It stands for the added
value that Walter says it offers customers through various services from consulting and
planning to implementation and maintenance, and for a trusting partnership that goes far
beyond tools.
As vice president of Walter Lightweight Business Unit, Pedro Pacheco will be responsible for
the new competence brand. He served as the first managing director of FMT from 2006 to
2017 and took over the role again in 2019.
“My focus will be on bringing together the expertise and working methods of FMT and
Walter’s PCD division in the optimal way,” says Pacheco. “We want to increase our reach in
the market significantly and contribute to Walter’s strategic growth targets. I want to create
the right structures and processes to provide current and potential customers with an
attractive offering that enables them to achieve their own economic goals.”

More information www.walter-tools.com

Kyocera Corporation has developed a new parting-off solution, denoted KGZ, for small component machining. KGZ uses a new clamp structure with three proprietary mechanisms to lock the insert in place, suppress chatter and achieve stable machining. In addition, the constraint surface of the holder has a shape that distributes stress, improves durability and realises high-efficiency machining.

Within the insert grade’s line-up, a newly developed PVD-coated grade known as the PR 20 is also available for the KGZ. The new coating, MegaCoat 1 Nano EX, which is resistant to oxidation and abrasion, achieves high precision, long tool life and stable machining when parting-off steel, stainless steel and cast-iron workpieces.

Notably, the new KGZ design improves the holding force of the insert and the durability of the tool holder through three proprietary mechanisms: gap section, top clamp and stopper.

With the gap section, users can simply press down on the insert from directly above to firmly secure it in place. Generally, it is structurally difficult to fix the insert directly above with a parting-off tool. KGZ has a tapered slit with a slanted cut, so when tightening the fastening screw it applies a restraining force from directly above the insert, securing it in place.

The top clamp serves to pull the insert inward and increase the binding force. Designing the shape so that force is applied inward when clamping the insert suppresses the displacement of the insert in the front and rear directions.

Kyocera’s stopper disperses stress over a large area and improves the durability of the holder. According to the company, this design reduces the amount of stopper wear to about one-third of that of competitor products.

More information www.kyocera-unimerco.com