Walter USA LLC has announced that Tiger-tec Silver, its high-performance aluminum oxide coating that has been boosting the productivity of its milling and turning inserts, is now available for its Xtra-tec Insert Drills as well. The addition of Tiger-tec Silver to the drills has been able to boost productivity, increase process reliability, and lower tooling costs.

The new coating combines high temperature wear resistance and superior toughness. This combination is desirable in any application but particularly in drilling. In drilling, the cutting edges must be able to withstand relatively high cutting speeds and forces at the outer edge, but these speeds and forces diminish as one approaches the center of the drill. In order to cope successfully and economically with such disparate and therefore difficult machining conditions, a cutting tool material that couples high temperature wear resistance with excellent toughness is required.

Tiger-tec Silver's heat resistant feature promotes higher productivity by allowing higher speeds, while its toughness promotes higher process reliability, both helping to lengthen tool life and reduce tooling costs.

The new coating is available with several insert materials. For example, the cutting materials WKP25S and WKP35S are suitable for all cast iron and steel materials. If extreme toughness at the drill center is required, as is often the case when machining ISO-P, ISO-M or ISO-S materials, Walter has a PVD coated center indexable insert made of the cutting tool material WXP40 as an alternative. This cutting material is designed for maximum toughness and guarantees optimum process reliability.