For turning stainless steel components – regardless of whether they be cast, forged or semi-finished parts – Ceratizit says it now has the optimum insert in its range.

The established CTPM125 carbide grade has been joined by two new cutting materials to complete the product range: the more wear-resistant CTCM120 and the tougher CTCM130. Both feature the latest Dragonskin coating.

The arrival of these two new carbide grades, which are recommended for turning austenitic stainless steels, coincides with the publication of the new Ceratizit Up2Date supplementary catalogue. Development was focused on the most frequently used stainless steels – V2A (e.g. 1.4301) and V4A (1.4545) – with the aim of providing a wider selection of inserts to cover every application from roughing to fine machining.

CTCM120 is said to allow high cutting speeds on austenitic stainless steels and boasts a smooth cut. According to Ceratizit, the grade also impresses with its long tool life, which in some cases was double that of the competition in benchmark tests.

The tough CTCM130 carbide grade is recommended for interrupted cuts. If cutting speeds need to be kept low and conditions are unstable, the attributes of CTCM130 help to increase process security.

Ceratizit’s complete range for austenitic stainless steels is characterised not just by the precise co-ordination of the three grades, but by the free selection of different chip breakers. Depending on the application, customers can choose from three geometries for negative indexable inserts, or two for positive inserts.

For further information www.cuttingtools.ceratizit.com/gb/en.html

XYZ Machine Tools has adopted customer feedback and extended its Compact Turn range to offer greater capacity.

The company has introduced the CT 65 HD and, a highly cost-competitive solution, the CT 52 LR.

With the CT 52 LR, the use of linear rail technology has been extended to XYZ’s turning centres for the first time, having proved successful on its machining centre range. Using linear rails offers cost advantages without any compromise in capability. The CT 52 LR is available from under £36,000, making it advantageous to small and medium-sized businesses considering their first turning centre. Despite the relatively low cost, the CT 52 LR boasts an 11.2 kW (4500 rpm) spindle, 52 mm spindle bore, 10-station turret and Siemens 828D control.

The larger XYZ CT 65 HD offers enhanced turning capacity with a 510 mm maximum turned length, almost double that of its predecessor, and a total Z-axis travel of 525 mm. Another upgraded addition is the increased coolant delivery pressure, which now runs at 30 l/min (at 2.5 bar). Positioning is by ball screws that have been increased in size to 28 mm (X axis) and 40 mm (Z axis) respectively, with 20 m/min feed rates. Metal-cutting performance is enhanced using a Siemens 17 kW, 4500 rpm motor and the upgraded Siemens 828D ShopTurn touchscreen control unit.

Nigel Atherton, managing director XYZ Machine Tools, says: “The arrival of these two additions to our turning centre range will see a better balance between turning centre and machining centre sales. At present, machining centres outsell turning centres by around 3 to 1, but with these additions we can see that becoming more balanced.”

For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Dugard is strengthening its business model for the future with the addition of two new staff.

The appointment of Mike Corbett (pictured left), a well-respected name in the machine-tool industry with more than 30 years’ experience, is described by Dugard as “a real coup”. As the company’s new national sales support manager, Corbett will be drawing on his experience to support the growing sales team with technical expertise and advice.

Joining Corbett as a new starter at Dugard is Chris Anson, the latest addition to the service team. Taking on a dual role as a service and area sales manager, Anson has spent over a decade in the industry, working as a service engineer on some of the world’s most renowned and technically advanced machine-tool brands. Anson will use this expertise of working on turning and machining centres, as well as sliding-head lathes, to bolster the support for Dugard customers in the Midlands.
For further information www.dugard.com

Bowers Group has provided NMB Minebea UK Ltd with an Innovatest Falcon 507 Vickers, Knoop and Brinell hardness tester to ensure accurate testing of manufactured parts.

The Falcon hardness tester has enabled the company to increase its PTP testing results from Class 3 to Class 1, deliver a faster turnaround of samples and increase the accuracy of tests performed. Jason Woodhouse, laboratory manager at NMB Minebea, says: “Since investing in the Falcon, the accuracy of our hardness testing has improved by 60%. It’s not just accurate, it’s really easy to use.”

NMB Minebea manufactures a variety of cold-form parts for aerospace and military clients, including bearings and landing gear. Hardness must be accurately measured to prevent fracture during the cold-form process, which can result in components having to be scrapped, as well as damage to the dies and tooling on machines.
Says Woodhouse: “We chose the Falcon 507 because it offered us all the features we needed at the right price. It was the perfect balance for us. Most people in the metallurgy lab use the hardness tester anything from once a day, to several times, depending on the demands of the current project.”

NMB Minebea can now test to ASTM and British standards on the hardness tester, validate paperwork, and export all results to Microsoft Windows. To ensure the hardness tester is as accurate as possible, it is calibrated by an external company every 6 months.

For further information www.bowersgroup.co.uk

Summit Engineering (Birmingham) Ltd has invested in a Crysta-Apex CNC CMM from Mitutoyo. The CMM was installed in a newly-built, environmentally controlled inspection facility at the company’s Solihull production facility.

Director Kevin McCormick says: “Although the advanced Crysta-Apex CNC CMM was marginally more expensive than the other machine that made our shortlist, given the importance we place on quality, we were happy to place an order. As it had the ideal capacity for inspecting the vast majority of our components, we specified a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex CNC CMM with an XYZ capacity of 705 x 1005 x 605 mm.”

Summit Engineering quality engineer Stephen Smolak adds: “Following its trouble-free installation, the new Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex CMM soon began making a significant contribution to ensuring the premium quality of our output. Due to its simple operation, soon after their initial training sessions, our operators quickly became confident its use. It helped that, while they were still learning, support was always available via Mitutoyo’s online service.

“In addition to inspecting large, one-off components, we are also able to load multiple smaller parts on to the CMM’s bed, recall the relevant program, then perform a rapid, fully automated CNC mass inspection routine,” continues Smolak. “Dependant on the customer’s requirements, we now archive the generated inspection results or print-off in-depth reports.

“Due to the specifications of our new Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex CMM it is able to inspect our most complex components, as well as those with extremely challenging accuracy requirements. In addition, our new CMM’s speed and ease of use, means that, not only is it capable of inspecting our current levels of output, it will also handle any future anticipated rises in production.”

For further information www.mitutoyo.co.uk