Revolutionary Joint Technology

In an agreement signed earlier this year, Kennametal Inc. (Latrobe, PA) and Haimer GmbH (Igenhausen, Germany) have agreed to a revolutionary joint technology partnership and development cooperation for modular cutting tool systems in an agreement that involves a significant cross license model and a long term partnership. “This agreement is a perfect fit because it illustrates both of our companies as leaders in high-end innovative technologies for world manufacturing,” stated Carlos Cardoso, the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Kennametal.

The two companies have combined their tool holding and carbide knowledge solutions for high performance milling applications to introduce the new DUO-LOCK™ modular interface for carbide cutting tool heads, a revolutionary modular end mill system that, like SAFE-LOCK™, is offered as a license to leading high-end cutting tool companies wanting to establish a compatible, high-performance modular end mill system.

“Working with world-class partners demonstrates our commitment to Different Thinking,” explains John Jacko, the vice president and chief marketing officer of Kennametal. “This is a full-system partnership between companies with identical philosophies, highest innovation strength and passion for precision,” added Andreas Haimer, the president of Haimer Group.

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For the past few years, the cost of carbide has been consistently increasing. Following this trend, both companies have developed DUO-LOCK to be the most rigid and most precise interface in the market place and virtually unbreakable. “The current existing modular tool systems have their weakness in the interface,” explains Oliver Sax, the director of product management at Haimer. “Due to this fact, the full potential of the cutting heads can`t be used because of tool breakage.” Colleen Cordova, the vice president of industrial marketing at Kennametal adds, “Both of our companies have been able to create a modular interface based on maximum stability that allows the user to make full use of the carbide tool potential.”

This new technology provides maximum stability, load capacity and high runout precision based on an innovative thread design with a proprietary double cone connection and an additional third supporting area in the back of the interface. During the recent IMTS 2014 event, both companies introduced a new portfolio of cutting heads and mono-block screw fit tool holders with DUO-LOCK technology in all relevant spindle interfaces and extensions. Also, new modular cutting tool heads with longer length than currently available in the market place will be added to their product portfolio in order to take aggressive cuts also in the aerospace and energy industry.

“The system guarantees 5 µm runout accuracy and a Z accuracy of 10 µm which will eliminate most of the expensive presetting processes,” said Doug Ewald, the director product management system tooling at Kennametal. The superior features of this technology will provide significantly increased metal removal rates at milling applications and longer tool life.

For the first time a modular milling system can achieve similar high performance of a latest generation solid carbide end mill, as seen in how the DUO-LOCK system has proven milling performance of 1.5 times diameter depth of cut and widens the application of modular milling systems compared with current competitive systems (see Figure 1). As a result, a significant productivity advantage in terms of metal removal rate can be achieved (see Figure 2). This new system can more than double the metal removal rate (MRR) in common milling applications.

In contrast to other systems in the market, both companies do not want to limit this new system to only themselves. The partners are currently in discussions with additional leading cutting tool companies to offer customers multiple sources of different manufacturers with one compatible interface.

Haimer USA, 134 E. Hill Street, Villa Park, IL 60181, 630-833-1500, Fax: (630) 833-1507, matthew.rubenstahl@haimer-usa.com, www.haimer-usa.com.

Kennametal, Inc., 1600 Technology Way, Latrobe, PA 15650, 800-446-7738, www.kennametal.com.