Long tool life, as the headline states in Latin, benefits every metalcutting application, but especially flying saw ones cutting welded tube in which the machine is already running at the maximum parameters, according to Richard Otter, R&D for ICO Surface Coatings Inc., a division of saw blade manufacturer Tru-Cut Saw Inc. That’s because stopping the operation to change a blade is expensive, he noted.
Courtesy of ICO Surface Coatings
The new ViTA-Nano PVD coating reportedly extends tool life 30 to 50 percent.
The sawing machine clamps onto a welded tube and travels with the tube to cut it to a specific length, from about 10 ' to 40 ', depending on the customer’s requirements, Otter explained. Stopping the sawing mill can cause $1,000 of scrap steel tubing because of what is called “open seam,” where the rolled steel has not been welded to form the finished product. “If the customer can run the mill longer without tooling changes, this will reduce the amount of scrap tubing they have to recycle and increase profits,” he said.
To increase circular saw blade life 30 to 50 percent vs. the company’s standard multilayer AlTiN coatings, ICO developed ViTA-Nano, a nanocomposite physical vapor deposition coating. “Vita is Latin for life, so this is our extended life coating,” Otter said.
He noted that unlike a multilayer coating in which the coating is deposited in individual steps, the new coating’s four targets (titanium, aluminum titanium, chrome and silicon) are deposited simultaneously. “The cathodes are all turned on at one time,” Otter said.
The ViTA-Nano coating reportedly extends tool life for all carbide tools. “We’ve seen really good adhesion between carbide and this new coating, whereas with HSS the coating seems to be a little bit too hard and has a tendency to flake off,” Otter added.
Compared to AlTiN’s hardness of 3,600 HV, the new coating is 4,500 HV, the company reports. In addition, ViTA-Nano withstands a maximum temperature of 2,200° F vs. 1,650° F for AlTiN, and the former has a 0.45 friction coefficient while AlTiN’s is 0.5. The reduced friction coefficient helps a blade run longer, Otter noted.
In a test sawing 24"×24 "×0.286"-thick, X70-grade oil country tubular goods steel (TGS) with a minimum yield strength of 70 ksi and a minimum tensile strength of 82 ksi, an AlTiN-coated Tru-Cut Saw blade produced 180 cuts (3,879 sq. in.) before failing because of broken teeth. The tests of three sets of ViTA-Nano-coated blades showed tool life increases of 30, 37 and 47 percent before teeth broke: 232 cuts (4,999 sq. in.), 246 cuts (5,301 sq. in.) and 264 cuts (5,689 sq. in.).
For more information about ICO Surface Coatings, Brunswick, Ohio, call (330) 225-3939 or visit www.icosurface coatings.com.
Related Glossary Terms
- Vickers hardness number ( HV)
Vickers hardness number ( HV)
Number related to the applied load and surface area of the permanent impression made by a square-based pyramidal diamond indenter having included face angles of 136º. The Vickers hardness number is a ratio of the applied load in kgf, multiplied by 1.8544, and divided by the length of diagonal squared.
- circular saw
circular saw
Cutoff machine utilizing a circular blade with serrated teeth. See saw, sawing machine.
- hardness
hardness
Hardness is a measure of the resistance of a material to surface indentation or abrasion. There is no absolute scale for hardness. In order to express hardness quantitatively, each type of test has its own scale, which defines hardness. Indentation hardness obtained through static methods is measured by Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers and Knoop tests. Hardness without indentation is measured by a dynamic method, known as the Scleroscope test.
- high-speed steels ( HSS)
high-speed steels ( HSS)
Available in two major types: tungsten high-speed steels (designated by letter T having tungsten as the principal alloying element) and molybdenum high-speed steels (designated by letter M having molybdenum as the principal alloying element). The type T high-speed steels containing cobalt have higher wear resistance and greater red (hot) hardness, withstanding cutting temperature up to 1,100º F (590º C). The type T steels are used to fabricate metalcutting tools (milling cutters, drills, reamers and taps), woodworking tools, various types of punches and dies, ball and roller bearings. The type M steels are used for cutting tools and various types of dies.
- metalcutting ( material cutting)
metalcutting ( material cutting)
Any machining process used to part metal or other material or give a workpiece a new configuration. Conventionally applies to machining operations in which a cutting tool mechanically removes material in the form of chips; applies to any process in which metal or material is removed to create new shapes. See metalforming.
- milling machine ( mill)
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- physical vapor deposition ( PVD)
physical vapor deposition ( PVD)
Tool-coating process performed at low temperature (500° C), compared to chemical vapor deposition (1,000° C). Employs electric field to generate necessary heat for depositing coating on a tool’s surface. See CVD, chemical vapor deposition.
- physical vapor deposition ( PVD)2
physical vapor deposition ( PVD)
Tool-coating process performed at low temperature (500° C), compared to chemical vapor deposition (1,000° C). Employs electric field to generate necessary heat for depositing coating on a tool’s surface. See CVD, chemical vapor deposition.
- sawing
sawing
Machining operation in which a powered machine, usually equipped with a blade having milled or ground teeth, is used to part material (cutoff) or give it a new shape (contour bandsawing, band machining). Four basic types of sawing operations are: hacksawing (power or manual operation in which the blade moves back and forth through the work, cutting on one of the strokes); cold or circular sawing (a rotating, circular, toothed blade parts the material much as a workshop table saw or radial-arm saw cuts wood); bandsawing (a flexible, toothed blade rides on wheels under tension and is guided through the work); and abrasive sawing (abrasive points attached to a fiber or metal backing part stock, could be considered a grinding operation).
- sawing machine ( saw)
sawing machine ( saw)
Machine designed to use a serrated-tooth blade to cut metal or other material. Comes in a wide variety of styles but takes one of four basic forms: hacksaw (a simple, rugged machine that uses a reciprocating motion to part metal or other material); cold or circular saw (powers a circular blade that cuts structural materials); bandsaw (runs an endless band; the two basic types are cutoff and contour band machines, which cut intricate contours and shapes); and abrasive cutoff saw (similar in appearance to the cold saw, but uses an abrasive disc that rotates at high speeds rather than a blade with serrated teeth).
- sawing machine ( saw)2
sawing machine ( saw)
Machine designed to use a serrated-tooth blade to cut metal or other material. Comes in a wide variety of styles but takes one of four basic forms: hacksaw (a simple, rugged machine that uses a reciprocating motion to part metal or other material); cold or circular saw (powers a circular blade that cuts structural materials); bandsaw (runs an endless band; the two basic types are cutoff and contour band machines, which cut intricate contours and shapes); and abrasive cutoff saw (similar in appearance to the cold saw, but uses an abrasive disc that rotates at high speeds rather than a blade with serrated teeth).
- tensile strength
tensile strength
In tensile testing, the ratio of maximum load to original cross-sectional area. Also called ultimate strength. Compare with yield strength.
- yield strength
yield strength
Stress at which a material exhibits a specified deviation from proportionality of stress and strain. An offset of 0.2 percent is used for many metals. Compare with tensile strength.
Author
Alan holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Including his 20 years at CTE, Alan has more than 30 years of trade journalism experience.
