New grooving and cut-off milling system

A new generation of tools for grooving and cut-off milling is now available from tooling manufacturer Horn. The cutter bodies are available from stock as side, shell and screw-in milling cutters; the two latter variants being equipped for internal coolant supply. Special surface treatment offers protection against abrasion from chips.

Horn offers the side milling cutters in diameters from 80 to 200 mm, while thegrooving width is optionally 5, 6 or 8 mm. As shell mills, the tools are available in diameters from 63 to 200 mm and with identical grooving widths. Horn’s screw-in cutters are for a groove width of 5 mm and come in diameters from 40 to 63 mm as standard. The effective number of teeth of depends on tool diameter and ranges from two to 13.

The M475 system employs precision-ground, indexable inserts with four cutting edges. Positive geometry and a round chip-breaker groove together with a new grade, RC4G, deliver economical, productive machining performance. New also is the availability of an RC4 coating applied using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. It provides high toughness and hardness to enable the machining of steels at elevated cutting speeds, leading to increased insert life.
For further information www.phorn.co.uk

Guhring introduces latestmicro-precision drills

Guhring is extending its range of drills with the arrival of the company’s new Micro Precision Drills. Developed for the precision drilling of challenging materials, Guhring says that its Micro Precision Drills deliver rigidity, stability, performance and precision when drilling small holes.

Manufactured from a sub-micron carbide substrate, the latest drilling line is suitable for use in challenging materials such as stainless steel, heat-resistant steels, titanium and titanium alloys, Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel, copper, brass and bronze alloys. Until now, this range of materials has proven particularly difficult to drill, especially in small diameters from 0.5 to 3mm. What enables the new Guhring Micro Precision Drills to process this wide range of materials is the strong carbide substrate and innovative geometry. The next-generation geometry technology incorporates a ground facet point, concave cutting edge and web thinning – all in one drill.

This combination delivers high performance as the special facet point increases the cutting data, so end users can process holes at higher speeds than ever before. Additionally, the concave cutting edge significantly improves chip evacuation, which is critical for small-hole drilling where swarf clearance can cause performance issues. The new drills also incorporate Guhring’s next-generation coating technology with high heat resistance. This impervious coating technology maximises tool life and performance even when drilling the most difficult of materials, reports the company, retaining edge performance for prolonged periods under demanding conditions.

The h7 diameter tolerance Guhring Micro Precision Drills are available in drilling depths of 3, 6, 10, 15, and 20xD, in 0.05mm increments from 1 to 3mm with additional diameter increments in the range for pre-threading and specialist requirements.
For further information www.guhring.co.uk

Floyd ‘on form’ with new Schwanog system

Now available from Floyd Automatic Tooling is the flexible new MSIK modular tooling system from Schwanog for external and axial grooving operations. Unlike rival systems, Floyd Automatic says the new MSIK system enables the delivery of coolant straight to the cutting edge, thus enhancing tool life, surface finishes and swarf evacuation.

With the Schwanog MSIK modular system, the dual-coolant channels supply fluid internally to the cutting edge from two directions via the tool base body and cartridge. This capability eliminates the need for external coolant lines that can disrupt operations and often fail to deliver fluid to the cutting edge when undertaking intricate machining within a compact work envelope.

MSIK exchangeable tool holdersare completely modular to demonstrate high levels of flexibility for the end user. The tool base body is adaptable with different standardised cartridges for grooving. Securing the cartridges to the tool body is an interface that bolts cartridges to the side of the base body, ensuring a stable and secure connection.

Cartridges from Schwanog’s WEP and PWP cartridge systems are interchangeable with the MSIK system. For both the WEP and PWP cartridge systems, the range of indexable inserts is extremely diverse with dimensions, geometries and grades to cater for all applications. Furthermore, as specialists in small part turning, grooving and parting, it is possible to grind inserts to forms in accordance with customer drawings.

The tool base body is available in a range of sizes and types to suit all turning centre tool-holding set-ups. The system comes in polygonal Capto in sizes: C3, C4, C5 and C6 with or without serration; HSK-T63; and in the TS system configuration to TS40, TS50 and TS60.
For further information www.floyd-automatic.co.uk

Versatility when milling tough materials

To address the challenges of difficult and unstable machining conditions caused by long tool overhangs, Seco says that its JS754 stub series end mills feature short protrusion lengths that maximise tooling value while increasing tool life by 20-40%.

The four-flute end mill is for mill-turn and multi-tasking machines, and incorporates the industry-proven JS754 cutting geometry and proprietary HXT coating for high-performance machining. This design makes the Seco JS754 suitable for difficult applications involving ISO M (stainless steel) and S (heat-resistant superalloys and titanium) materials. The shorter length of the JS754 Stub adds strength and vibration control for increased tool stability when machining with main or sub-spindles, as well as with milling heads and driven tools.

Many CNC mill-turn and multi-tasking machines have a limited machining envelope that can prohibit the use of longer end mills. The short protrusion lengths of the JS754 stub series require less room in the sub or second spindles of these machines. Notably, the end mills provide freedom of movement to maneuver around workpieces with increased tool stability in tight workspaces, which allows shops to maximise the benefits that mill-turn and multi-tasking machines offer, including shorter set-up times and better part quality.

The JS754 stub series is available in both chamfer and corner radius configurations, in diameters from 3 to 16 mm, and comes in cylindrical and Weldon shanks.

“Within all manufacturing segments, especially general machining and aerospace, the high-mix/low-volume (HMLV) production environment continues to drive the need for automation and efficiency, achieved most commonly through mill-turn and multi-tasking machines,” says Rob Mulders, product manager – solid milling, atSeco Tools. ”The JS754 stub series contributes significant flexiblility for the single set-up part manufacturing that these multi-purpose machines provide.”
For further information www.secotools.com

Fivefold increase in machine productivity

Having over 50 years of experience in engineering, Team Inc (UK) is a company that specialises in leak-sealing services and solutions. With offices in Carlisle and throughout the UK, Team Inc has grown into a global brand with a reputation that extends from here to its headquarters in the US.

Among the company’s best-selling components are high-pressure injection adapters, which are finish-machined using reamers against a 24/7 schedule. The reamers used previously to machine these high-pressure injection adapters, made from high-tensile alloy steel (A193B7 and A320-L7), allowed Team UK’s engineers to produce between 1500-2000 parts a year. However, reamer wear was prone to causing component damage, leading to scrapped materials and waste. Ceratizit therefore recommended its Fullmax reamer.

Cutting data for the new reaming process was 1722 rpm with a feed rateof 1722 mm/min (1 mm per revolution feed). Saving 50 seconds per component, Team UK managed to increase its throughput to between 8000 and 10,000, equating to a fivefold increase in productivity.

Ceratizit’s new Fullmax Reamer also meant that fewer components saw damage during the process. As another benefit, whereas the new Fullmax Reamers show when they need replacing, there was no way for engineers to tell if the old reamers were wearing.

Chris Mitchell, manufacturing manager at Team UK, says:“Normally, when you want to increase process efficiency as much as this, there is a huge expense either through providing more manpower or buying expensive equipment. However, the new reamer was actually cheaper than the one we were using previously and it has provided a fivefold increase in the production of this adapter, which is absolutely outstanding. As well as this, it has virtually eradicated any waste in terms of scrapping parts.”
For further information www.ceratizit.com