February 2008 Edition

IMTS readers' choice

Cutting-tool innovations

Tooling & Production has invited IMTS 2008 exhibitors to share their latest innovations with readers before the doors of Chicago's McCormick Place open in September. This month, T&P focuses on cutting-tool products.

In the coming months, T&P will feature inspection products, software, laser and waterjet marvels, abrasive machining products, and the best in turning and machining.

CoroMill 490

In anticipation of IMTS 2008, Sandvik Coromant will release the CoroMill 490 in March. The first in a new family of versatile shoulder milling tools, the CoroMill 490 will cut the cost of face and shoulder milling operations in small to medium batch sizes.

The CoroMill 490 offers lower tool costs, reduced tool inventories, greater flexibility, higher precision, and better tolerances. The CoroMill 490 features four-edge inserts with outstanding geometry design and new grades. The state of the art CoroMill 490 insert design produces less cutting force on the component, providing better operational stability while requiring less horsepower. This results in a smoother profile and reduces the amount of machining time spent on finishing.

To minimize tooling inventories and operational expenses, the CoroMill 490 was designed to excel in a wide variety of milling operations. The tool can be used for contouring and edging, semi-finish and finish boring with cylindrical or helical interpolation, and slot milling. By providing high performance across a spectrum of milling applications, the CoroMill 490 can replace expensive stocks of specialized tools and simplifies production control.

The CoroMill 490 maximizes the potential of Sandvik Coromant's New Insert Generation milling grades. Combined with unique geometries, these new grades machine high quality component in a productive, dependable and predictable way, while holding tight tolerances. The new edge geometry provides better surface finishes and tighter tolerances on milled components, and good chip evacuation.

For more information on Sandvik Coromant

SUMO TEC

Iscar Metals Inc. is introducing a revolutionary new metalworking concept for increased productivity called 3P SUMO line. This concept presents Premium Productivity Products (3P) "for better productivity, better profitability, and better performance."

The highlight of the 3P product introduction is SUMO TEC, which features a new series of premium tungsten carbide grades to meet the contemporary machining challenges of the metal cutting industry.

The new series of carbide grades will excel metal cutting performances to new achievements in drilling, milling, turning, and grooving applications. Complementing SUMO TEC, Iscar has developed a new series of tools and inserts branded SUMO lines.

The new exclusive grades significantly extend insert tool life as a result of a unique innovative substrate scientifically engineered by ISCAR. In addition, the SUMO TEC grades feature the most advanced coating technology using the CVD and PVD processes. Behind the PVD process is Iscar's AL-TEC coating technology. The CVD coating is based on Iscar's ALPHA-TEC technology, which has proved to be superiorly resistant to wear. This unique process provides improved tool life, low insert surface stresses, and an evenly coated top surface. The even surface contributes to smooth uninterrupted chip flow, less generated heat and less friction. The new process improves toughness and chipping resistance, thus reducing friction and built-up edge, which in turn prolongs tool life at increased machining conditions for all types of workpiece material.

For more information on Iscar Metals Inc.

Milling cutter

Walter recently updated the F2330 milling cutter with Trigon-cutting inserts. The F2330 used previously in standard milling operations has been improved to work with difficult machining operations such as circular interpolation, plunging, and pocketing. Mechanical engineering companies, mold designers and specialists in the processing of turbine blades will benefit. These inserts have three cutting edges and a positive basic shape guaranteeing a soft, low-vibration cut. For fine-tuning the application, three cutting geometries are available: universal, stable and easy-cutting. The tool bodies, available in diameters from 0.750" to 4.000", utilize wide flutes in order to avoid chip packing.

Similar to the Tiger-tec cutting materials, WKP25 and WKP35, Walter is currently delivering cutting inserts for the F2330 from the new PVD Tiger-tec types WSP45 and WSM35. These cutting materials have been specifically developed for the manufacturing of stainless steel or low machinability alloys such as titanium. These new developments provide an expanded range of application for high-performance tools, increased cutting speeds and longer service life in difficult to machine applications.

For more information on Walter AG.

4E geometry debuts

ATI Stellram specifically designed the 4E Turning Geometry to meet the demands of machining aerospace-type components, manufactured from high nickel, high cobalt and titanium-based alloys.

Available in new grade SP0819, 4E inserts utilize an approved aerospace substrate, and are enhanced with a Nano TiAIN layer PVD coating for unmatched performance.

ATI Stellram's new 4E Aerospace Turning Geometry provides

• Longer tool life. The 4E's combination of a new super-hard coating with micro-grain carbide substrate significantly improves heat and wear resistance in high temperature alloy machining, enabling longer tool life and higher productivity.
• Improved component quality. The 4E's new precise reinforced chipbreaker profile with positive cutting action dramatically reduces built-up edge, leaving a smooth surface finish and greater component dimension integrity.
• Application versatility. The 4E is designed to machine a wide variety of materials including stainless steels, high nickel, high cobalt and titanium-based alloys, helping to reduce inventory, operator error, and cost.

For more information on ATI Stellram

Custom tools

Advent Tool & Manufacturing announces the creation of a new company, TMFM LLC, an Advent Tool affiliate formed to specialize in spline, form and custom milling tools. Because of recent progress with new and innovative designs, including their recently patented spline form milling tools, TMFM LLC is pursuing the further development and refining of specialized milling tools in these new and developing fields.

Advent Tool & Manufacturing, Lake Bluff, IL, has been manufacturing solid carbide, carbide-tipped, and indexable carbide thread for milling tools since 1974.

For more information on Advent Tool & Manufacturing

Tool analysis

Scientific Forming Technologies Corp. announces the release of DEFORM-3D, version 6.1. DEFORM is used by cutting-tool manufacturers and other major manufacturers to analyze the influence of tool design and cutting parameters on machining performance.

DEFORM is a finite element-based system that can predict chip form, cutting forces, temperatures, tool wear, and other parameters based on cutting tool geometry, feed, speed, depth of cut, and coolant.

The DEFORM material library contains more than 50 materials, including common grades of steel, titanium, aluminum, and superalloys. Release 6.1 includes several new materials. On the numerical side, the system features a new mesh generator for improved run times, increased robustness, and accuracy.

For more information on Scientific Forming Technologies Corp.,

Parallel drill programs

Toolmaker Mikron Tool SA Agno now offers the customer two parallel drill programs with the ideal cost-performance ratio for every application.

The CrazyDrill, a highly successful market introduction, which proved itself in tests and actual production millions of times, is the small drill for the most demanding requirements. It is used where large series, multiple drillings per workpiece and difficult conditions are the norm. Depending on design, these high-performance drills are available from stock in diameters ranging from 0.4mm to 6mm (in 0.5mm-increments) and lengths of 2 x d to 15 x d.

The MiquDrill line is an entirely new range of products offered by Mikron Tool. Three types of drills are available: center drills in various diameters from 0.5mm to 6mm that center for the smallest drilling diameters starting at 0.1mm while simultaneously performing a 90° or 120° chamfer. The short drill MiquDrill 200, drills holes of approximately. 2 – 3 x d. As a pilot drill, it guarantees the precise execution with the MiquDrill 210, for example, and achieves the precision needed in deeper hole drillings. Both drills were especially designed for micromachining and are available uncoated in diameters down to 0.1mm, coated from 0.3mm.

For more information on Mikron Tool SA Agno,

Disc-milling products

Seco Tools Inc. announces the new SNHQ and LNK-05 insert additions to its family of disc-milling products, which consists of a wide range of carbide grades and geometries for a variety of slotting, facing, circular interpolation, and circlip grooving applications in any material. Both the SNHQ and LNK-05 offer up to four cutting edges per insert and offer wiper flats for applications requiring a high-quality surface finish. Coupled with its extensive lineup of cutter bodies, Seco's disc-mill families are among the most complete in the industry.

The SNHQ line is made up of robust inserts that are free cutting and are less prone to tool chatter. Like the 335.19 inserts they replace, the SNHQ inserts fit Seco's 335.19 fixed pocket cutter bodies. The new line offers corner radius options from 0.008" - 0.236" in right- and left-handed styles.

Like the SNHQs, the LNK-05 inserts are also offered in both left- and right-hand cutting configurations. The LNK-05 inserts are designed to provide low-cutting forces to deal with longer overhangs or other unstable machining conditions. Corner radii range from 0.016" - 0.156". Tests with the LNK inserts have produced consistent surface finishes finer than Ra<60 µin.

New, slimmer cutter bodies have been added to accommodate machining narrower slots with the LNK-05 inserts (0.315" - 0.394"). Like its predecessors, the new cutters are available in both fixed and adjustable pocket configurations.

For more information on Seco Tools Inc.,

Air-actuated bore tooling

Valenite LLC has introduced a new MODCO Air Actuated Cylinder Bore (AACB) tool concept to its lineup of engineered tooling systems. The developed technology is designed to maximize tool life, enhance part quality, and eliminate the need for manual adjustments and the error potential associated with operator-made compensations.

The tool not only eliminates drag marks caused by tool withdrawal, thus enhancing quality, but also makes true in-process automatic tool point compensation a practical, economical reality for high-precision applications on CNC machines. And, because of the resulting improvements in tool life, the system can actually help reduce the number of dedicated machine tools required to complete semi-finish and finish boring operations.

The AACB the system is scalable to as small as 8mm diameter, and can be used for virtually any boring application where precision, tight tolerances, cylindricity, and repeatability are essential.

At the heart of the Valenite AACB tool are three insert cartridges, set to cut the semi-finish bore, and a fourth insert cartridge for finishing — a pivoting cartridge that expands outward to the finish diameter size when actuated by spindle air.

The new system has demonstrated operational performance that results in bores with cylindricity measuring under 10 micron, repeatable on diameter to within 1µ while allowing for precision adjustments of the tool point in 5? increments to compensate for insert wear to help keep maintenance requirements low, and can be designed to allow use of internal coolant at up to 25 bar pressure. The system can utilize CBN and PCD inserts for high-speed applications.
For more information on Valenite LLC,

Chamfer mill

BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. introduces the C-Cutter Mini, an ultra-high-feed chamfer mill. The C-Cutter Mini's compact design reduces the cutting diameter to the lowest limit, helping to achieve ultra-high spindle speeds and feeds.

The C-Cutter Mini delivers multifunctional cutting, including chamfering, back chamfering and face milling. Its high-speed back chamfering capability reduces hand de-burring, and face milling is possible with a 45 degree chamfering type with 0.394" square insert.

The C-Cutter Mini is available in single insert and four-insert designs. The single insert design utilizes the world's smallest 0.197" square insert with four cutting edges for smaller 45-degree chamfers and a slightly larger insert for 30- and 60-degree chamfers.

The four-insert design permits 45-degree chamfering for diameters 0.433"-1.654". Its "triple effect" design combines four inserts for higher feed rates, a compact diameter for increased spindle speeds, and a new wear resistant multi layer PVD coating for increased cutting speeds. In one example, these factors helped the four-insert C-Cutter Mini achieve 13 times better cutting efficiency than a competitor's three-insert cutter.

BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling is a leader in high-precision tooling systems and solutions. With brands including Kaiser, BIG Daishowa, Speroni, Unilock, Sphinx, and more, BIG Kaiser's line is focused on extreme accuracy and repeatability.

For more information on BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc.

Thread mills

Emuge Corporation's SHUR-THREAD GFI Series of solid carbide thread mills are now available with internal coolant supply. By precisely applying coolant where it is needed, waste is eliminated and chips are efficiently evacuated.

SHUR-THREAD offers high confidence machining, up to 2xD length of cut and other technologically advanced features. Offering an exceptional balance of performance benefits and price, the tooling line provides superb value for any size machine operation or production volume.

Emuge's SHUR-THREAD series combines cutting-edge design elements with state-of-the-art grinding techniques for enhanced performance, versatility, reliability and ease-of-use. Featuring premium micro-grain carbide and TiCN-coated for exceptionally longer tool life, the thread mills are engineered with multiple spiral flutes to eliminate chatter. Also, a large cutter diameter with high profile correction ensures true-to-gauge threads, and an extended milling portion allows for up to a 2xD length-of-cut. To further enhance performance, an enlarged flute space provides efficient chip evacuation and an end mill-type shank with clamping flat allows for secure tool holding.

SHUR-THREAD cutters produce threads for applications 1" and under in a wide range of soft and pre-hardened steels to 58Rc, stainless steels, aluminum, cast iron, titanium, Inconel, and difficult to machine exotics.

The SHUR-THREAD program consists of 20 tool sizes in two styles, type GFI and EZFI, and are available from stock. Type EZFI is for thread sizes # 4 - # 6 - # 8, and type GFI is for thread sizes #10 through 1.0".

For more information on Emuge Corp.,

Aerospace tools

With orders swelling for the latest new aircraft and promised delivery dates looming, commercial aircraft builders have been seeking new ways to keep up with part production schedules. Many current aircraft manufacturing programs focus on quality, weight reduction, and cost. If all three priorities can be addressed simultaneously in the early stages, costs can be minimized from the start. This was the approach taken by MAG Maintenance Technologies and MAG Cincinnati when they partnered with a major U.S.-based commercial aircraft manufacturer to develop equipment, cutting tools, and processes that would significantly reduce the cost per piece of machining titanium.

After several years of intensive development, these goals have not only been met, but in some cases, greatly exceeded. Productivity is up to four times the level of what had been experienced previously. MAG Cincinnati and MAG Maintenance Technologies are the exclusive suppliers of Technicut tooling, and the Maintenance Technologies' Productivity Solutions group worked with UK-based Technicut Ltd., a brazed-carbide and solid carbide tooling application expert, to develop the solutions.

A brazed-carbide plunger roughing tool was engineered to deliver a unique combination of high wear resistance at the cutting edges and toughness in the body to absorb the high levels of vibration associated with titanium cutting. A 2" OD cutter, for instance, with an 8" projection and a step-over of only 0.5", is now accomplishing titanium metal removal of over 5cu"/min. This is typically quadruple the normal capabilities of HSS.

A breakthrough came with a milling cutter dubbed the "Raptor," used for semi-finishing or finishing, as well as roughing in some situations. The Raptor mill is achieving a titanium removal rate of a startling 9cu"/min ... and finishing the part in a single operation. In other aerospace applications, the brazed-carbide Raptor has provided up to a 30X productivity bonus, with tool life doubled.

MAG Maintenance Technologies also formulated a multi-flute brazed carbide finisher, dubbed the "Dreamcutter," that has proven to be successful on finish cuts on thin wall applications of 8" deep with weight-saving wall thicknesses of 0.060" thick. The Dreamcutter carves 8" pockets productively with no visible steps over its entire length, and with maximum thickness variance of 0.005".

A fourth MAG cutting tool product, the Mega-Flute, is applied to finishing operations on many aircraft programs using titanium and high tensile alloys, and has achieved significant cycle-time productivity gains through the ability to feed at over 100"/min., sustain a material removal rate of 3cu"/min. while comfortably achieving over 1 hour of continuous cutting.

For more information on MAG Cincinnati,
For more information on MAG Maintenance Technologies,

FM Series

Feather Blend is a special patented geometry that reduces the ledging that occurs in step-down milling. This geometry is a smooth transition from the neck diameter to the cutting diameter of the end mill that eliminates steps and mismatching of side walls when multiple axial depths of cut are required. Feather Blend is helpful for insuring structural integrity and eliminating sharp corners on machined parts.

RobbJack's patented Mirror Edge geometry causes process dampening of aluminum material by matching the part frequency to the natural frequency of the tool. By doing this, more material is removed without increasing chatter. This geometry is also great for tools with long diameter to length ratios because the farther a tool sticks out of the spindle, the more inherent flexibility and, subsequently, the more chatter. Mirror Edge can eliminate this problem. It is also great for reducing chatter in thin wall aluminum parts.

RobbJack FM Series is the most advanced tooling system available to maximize high-speed machining center investment.

For more information on RobbJack Corp.,

Face-milling system

With a steel and aluminum body construction that offers reduced weight, improved rigidity and vibration-dampening characteristics, the KSCM AluMill face-milling system from Kennametal is designed to achieve high speeds and high-productivity results, especially for high-volume aluminum milling operations.

In particular, automotive applications such as engine blocks and cylinder heads can benefit from the KSCM AluMill system's design and performance.

KSCM AluMill cutters are available between 2.5" and 12" (63mm and 315mm) diameters and can accommodate five different cartridge styles for rough and finish cutting in the same operation or for defined surface-finish requirements. With easy cartridge insertion and adjustment, maximum runout error is 3mm. Reduced weight and the ability to be precision-balanced also serve to extend tool life.

For more information on Kennametal Inc.,

What do you think?
Will the information in this article increase efficiency or save time, money, or effort? Let us know by e-mail from our website at www.ToolingandProduction.com or e-mail the editor at dseeds@nelsonpub.com.