Tooling and Workholding Solutions Offer Versatility and Reductions in Costs
Handle the toughest applications and cut down on the number of changes thanks to advances in tool life.
Posted: March 24, 2022
New Standard Insert Grades Optimize Steel Turning
With common steel turning operations in mind, CERATIZIT (Schaumburg, IL) has introduced three new standard coated-carbide ISO-P steel insert grades that provide up to 20% longer tool life when compared to previous generation grades. The new inserts are highly engineered for increased productivity and feature advanced substrates, geometries and CERATIZIT’s innovative Dragonskin multi-layer coating for lower heat and less tool wear.
The gold-colored TiN outer layer of the Dragonskin multilayer CVD Ti(C,N)/Al2O3/TiN coating acts as an indicator to clearly identify insert wear and index before a breakage, but also prevents sharp cutting edges from going unused and the insert being inadvertently discarded. A mechanical post-coating treatment produces beneficial residual stress in the coating that results in increased process security, especially important in the large-volume production situations typically associated with turning ISO-P steels.
Each of the three grades are engineered for specific production scenarios. The CTCP115-P (ISO P15) grade has enhanced resistance to high temperatures and is ideal for use at higher cutting speeds in smooth, continuous cuts in stable cutting conditions. The CTCP125-P (ISO P25) universal steel-cutting grade balances toughness and wear resistance to provide consistent reliability in turning operations ranging from finishing to rough machining, while the CTC135-P (ISO P35) is a tough carbide grade for lower cutting speeds, interrupted cuts and unstable machining conditions.
New Line Offers Cost-Effective Universal Thread Milling Solution
EMUGE-FRANKEN USA (West Boylston, MA), a leading manufacturer of high-performance taps, thread mills, end mills, drills, and other rotary tools, offers a new line of multipurpose thread mills designed for threading a wide range of standard materials. Ideal for job shop manufacturing where part applications and materials frequently change, EMUGE MultiTHREAD™ thread mills provide a versatile solution for many threadmaking requirements.
The thread mills feature a proprietary TIN T21 coating developed by EMUGE, which reduces chip welding and improves chip evacuation. They also allow one tool to thread both through and blind holes and make right or left-hand threads. Two types of sub-micro grain carbide thread mills are offered — full form or single plane. Full form thread mills that machine threads in one timesaving cutting rotation feature a rigid core diameter that reduces deflection. The single plane design enables one tool to produce multiple thread sizes and allows the pitch diameter to be controlled. The thread mills are available in a broad range of types and sizes. In total, more than 80 SKUs of MultiTHREAD tools are stocked as standard.
New and Improved Solutions for Aluminum Machining
Niagara Cutter (Troy, MI), a Seco Tools company, offers new and improved A245/345 tooling solutions that have been redesigned to reduce power consumption and improve chip evacuation in aluminum machining applications. “The newly upgraded Niagara Cutter A245/A345 product family solves the power consumption issue that most aluminum manufacturers encounter,” said Jay Ball, North American Solid Milling Product Manager. “By combining an engineered flute shape and polished K-land, giving you an optimal combination of helix angle and rake angle, this product family reduces power consumption by a minimum of 20%.”
This product family upgrade also has the latest in engineered PVD coatings called ANF (Aluminum NonFerrous), which reduces friction and built-up material on the cutting edge, which improves workpiece surface finish and increases tool life, removing surface finish quality issues when milling aluminum, Ball noted. This can greatly increase the product’s tool life as compared to uncoated and TiCN coated solutions.
www.secotools.com/NC-aluminium-finishing
Fast and Efficient Lathe Set Ups and Changeovers — No Compromises
Anyone who produces small and medium-sized series on 3-jaw chucks knows the dilemma: Quick-change attracts with short set up times, but often has to be greased after just a few hours and fundamentally cleaned every few weeks. Sealed chucks, on the other hand, promise longer maintenance intervals, but require significantly more time for each set up process. The SCHUNK (Morrisville, NC) ROTA THW3 quick-change jaw chuck is intended to master the balancing act of short set up times and low maintenance. It is particularly beneficial for users who produce small and medium quantities and are frequently switching between jobs.
The lathe chuck with the patented sealing system accelerates the jaw change on CNC lathes, pick up lathes and turning-milling centers, while at the same time providing excellent jaw change repeatability up to <0.02 mm. This means that jaw sets that have been turned out once can be used again and again, even with demanding tolerances. The jaw stroke of the straight toothed base jaws is 6.7 mm to 10.5 mm, depending on the size. A ring piston with a direct power transmission ensures a high degree of efficiency: In the smallest size 200, the chuck already achieves a clamping force of 64 kN; from size 400 it is 240 kN. Its hardened and stiff base body ensures that precise and reliable machining can be carried out even under maximum stress. A large chuck bore from 52 mm (size 200) to 165 mm (size 630), protective rifles that can be exchanged from the front, and the possibility of internal and external tension enable versatile use. There is also the option of supplementing the chuck with an adjustable stop.
New Inserts Handle Tough Steel Turning Applications
The new Tiger·tec® Gold inserts from Walter USA, LLC (Waukesha, WI) are designed for turning operations in all steel applications including low carbon steels as well as various alloy steels. A key feature of these inserts for turning is their outstanding process reliability. This, along with their performance and tool life, is the result of their unique layer structure: A patent-pending, highly textured MT-TiCN layer reduces flank face wear and increases toughness due to its multi-layered elastic structure. A highly textured Al2O3 layer additionally increases the product’s resistance to crater wear, while the gold-colored top layer helps improve wear detection.
The final multi-stage proprietary post-treatment of the inserts ensures a rake face with reduced friction for easy chip evacuation and a high level of substrate toughness for resistance to chipping and notching. With this new technology, Walter is introducing three new CVD grades. The WPP10G has the highest wear resistance for continuous cuts primarily in steels (ISO P10) and secondarily in cast irons (ISO K20). The WPP20G is the universal grade capable of handling a wide range of applications, including continuous cuts to moderately interrupted cuts in steels (ISO P20) and with secondary applications in cast irons (ISO K30). The WPP30G is the toughest grade for steels (ISO P30) and secondary applications in cast irons (ISO K20) respectively. Being the toughest grade, WPP30G also is ideal for heavy interruptions, castings with scale, older unstable machine setups or any other applications that require a tough grade. These indexable inserts are ideal for use in the automotive, energy, and general metalworking industries where the inserts can significantly help reduce the cost per component.
The Next Generation in Versatile End Milling
WIDIA™ Products Group (Latrobe, PA) has launched the WCE solid end milling platform, which delivers affordable performance and reliability for small- to medium-sized machine shops. The initial release of the WCE platform features WCE4, a four-flute geometry that combines advanced, high-performance features with a brand new, versatile grade offered at a highly competitive price. This new solid end milling platform offers affordable performance and reliability in steel, stainless steel and cast-iron applications.
Two key features of the tool are its asymmetrical index and variable helix. The combination of the two reduce vibrations and enable heavy cuts, while the new grade, WU20PE, enables versatility on steel, stainless steel and cast-iron applications. These design features, coupled with the four-flute geometry, deliver an end mill with reliable performance and application versatility – even in demanding operations such as full slots and heavy cuts.
The WCE platform includes four-flute, square-end and ball nose end mills with both straight and Weldon shanks and is available in both metric and inch dimensions. The WCE5 five-flute geometry will be released later this year.
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