Cutting Tools & Tooling

Cutting Tool Engineering visited with G.W. Schultz Tool during IMTS 2016. Tomas Roman, inside sales manager for G.W. Schultz Tool, provides the play-by-play for a demonstration of the company's Alumigator roughing and ramping endmill.

Chris Merlin, director of portfolio commercialization for the WIDIA Products Group, visited with Cutting Tool Engineering Publisher Don Nelson during IMTS 2016 to discuss the company's 90-year milestone and latest technology, including the VariMill Modular System, the VariTap and the features of the NOVO app.

The new MC341 Supreme carbide shoulder/slot milling cutter from Walter is specially designed for extended tool life when machining steel and stainless steels. According to the company, yhe cutter delivers exceptional tool life, plus performance improvements of up to 100 percent thanks to the innovative new Walter WK40TZ grade, a special proprietary coating process and added design enhancements as well.

Back in 2014, Kennametal announced a technology partnership with Haimer for the development of a modular cutting tooling system. Since that time, the company has been busy developing, testing, and building inventory of DUO-LOCK, which promised even then to be "the most rigid and most precise interface in the marketplace."nToday it's even better.

ABB Robotics unveiled its latest foundry robot for material handling and machine tending, the IRB 1200 Foundry Plus 2. This compact robot can increase flexibility and reduce cycle times for precision die casting processes such as smartphone cases and other electrical components.

"Manufacturers who conduct a lot of machining know that the cost of productivity of a machining operation is inextricably connected to the selection of the cutting tool and the process for managing them," writes GE Industry Analyst Andy Henderson in a GE Digital blog post. "In the utopian future, the manufacturing intelligence system will automatically control how cutting tools are used and automatically optimize the cost of machining operations."

Sandvik Hyperion offers Compax veined PCD. This product offers diamond sintered within slotted veins oriented along a 30 degree helix angle. Its nibs are designed specifically for use in machining of CFRP and CFRP-metal stacks.

Sandvik Hyperion is introducing diameter tolerances in high-performance endmill blanks described as RUGI. New tolerances exceed the industry standard with an advanced round tool blanks specification.

MK Tools solid-carbide round tools from Monaghan Tooling Group introduces new "Speed-Drill R4" geometry, reportedly offering unparalleled cutting speeds and unprecedented tool life when cutting gray cast iron, ductile iron and forged steel, which are popular materials in automotive engine and chassis components. With a new corner radius design which is tangential to the drill point but nontangential to the diameter, these proven designs address challenging, high production drilling applications.

Todd Miller, manager, product marketing, Seco Tools LLC, covers the unique features of the company's Highfeed 6 cutter at IMTS 2016.

Walter says it has unveiled a technology that promises to dramatically improve machining effectiveness. Called Tiger·tec Gold, it is the latest iteration of Walter's successful line of Tiger·tec and Tiger·tec Silver coatings.

Walter has introduced its new Prototyp Advance line of solid-carbide milling tools for universal application. The new Advance milling cutter line consisting of six cutter types and 250 line items, each reportedly providing the ideal balance of hardness and toughness for the widest possible application, plus long tool life (increases of up to 50 percent) thanks to the Advance line's new high-performance WJ30TF grade and Walter's TiAIN coating.