Fabrication & Cutting

Tungaloy Corp. has introduced the AH8000 series of PVD grades and chipbreakers for turning heat resistant alloys. The new PVD grades feature impressive resistance to both wear and fracture due to the world's first nano-multi-layered AlTiN coating with high Al content and dramatically reduces notch wear, crater wear and built-up edge in machining heat resistant alloys.

Specifications for particulate and film-residue cleanliness are a matter of course for many machined components. In addition to the parts cleaning procedure, manufacturers must consider the entire process chain when seeking to efficiently achieve and maintain the required level of cleanliness.

Researchers at North Carolina State University reported the discovery of a distinct form of solid carbon they estimate is about 10 percent harder than diamond and could play an important role in machining. They also claim to have developed a relatively inexpensive technique for producing the substance, called Q-carbon, at room temperature and ambient atmospheric pressure.

Fischer Technology Inc., a Windsor, Conn.-based manufacturer of instrumentation for coating thickness, material testing, nanoindentation and material analysis, announced plans to open a new office in Livonia, Mich., to provide technical sales and service support for the Michigan area.

Dormer Pramet now offers Pramet SF and SM geometries for machining of high temperature alloys and stainless steel, the company announced Jan. 27. The SF geometry features a sharp positive geometry with an inclination cutting edge of 14.5° while the SM chip-breaker is a wear-resistant, universal geometry for medium machining.

FOBA Laser Marking + Engraving's Y-Series ytterbium fiber lasers are for marking parts made of metal, plastic and other materials. A scan head vision system for in-process imaging combines validation and verification prior to and directly after laser marking.

In a news release issued Jan. 16, Walter USA LLC, Waukesha, Wis., unveiled its P6005-WKK45C point drill insert that reportedly brings new levels of performance and cost effectiveness to drilling cast materials (ISO K) as well as other materials.

The Flex-Hone Tool, characterized by the small, abrasive globules that are permanently mounted to flexible filaments, has long been used for everything from automated metal finishing to maintenance and repair operations. Now the Flex-Hone can add one more claim to its resume: playing a small, but important, role in one of the largest engineering feats in marine history—the raising of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia.

Osborn, a leading supplier of industrial brushes, polishing compounds and buffs, recently announced that Kevin Pearson has been named territory sales manager for Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.

Medieval soldiers did it to strengthen their armor, Civil War engineers did it to improve gun and cannon barrels, railroad men did it to locomotive axles before they rolled into the untamed West and Henry Ford did it to enhance parts bound for his new invention, the assembly line.