Cutting Tools & Tooling

Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc. has expanded is best-selling AC400K Series for cast iron turning to include new finishing and general-purpose grades.

Sandvik Coromant introduces GC4325, a new-generation coated cemented-carbide grade for steel turning.

Experienced manufacturers know that when milling, three main considerations predominate: metal removal rate, tool life, and surface finish. All three are critical to successful metalworking, but often one will predominate. Manufacturers facing parts requiring 90-degree shoulders also know that achieving true 90-degree shoulders and minimizing the scallop or step marks between passes absolutely requires a high-performance cutter. The new Mill 4-15 platform from Kennametal is that best-in-class system, according to the company.

Advanced hard turning, or the use of superhard polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) cutting tools for machining hardened ferrous materials like cast irons, is eagerly sought across a number of key manufacturing industries. Hundreds of millions of brakes discs, brake drums, flywheels, and wheel hubs are required annually in motor vehicle, heavy equipment, and other industries, and although superhard tools show promise for turning such tough-to-machine parts, that promise has been stalled due to the tendency of these expensive tools to shatter and break under the extreme forces required. With decades of experience in advanced materials science and tool design, Kennametal is announcing Beyond Shield as the solution (responding to modern challenges in machining cast iron machining) to this situation.

EXSYS Tool Inc.'s new PRECI-FLEX Compensating Clutch system for Nakamura CNC turning centers enables users to "float" away misalignment between turret drive motors and toolholders, leading to smoother operation, finer surface finishes and longer tool life.

Allen Benjamin Inc. has introduced a line of high performance, application-specific HSSE spiral-flute pipe taps.

Coherent Inc. has expanded its family of industrial ultrafast lasers with the Talisker HE series, whose high energy pulses reportedly enable drilling, cutting and scribing of thicker materials than with other ultrafast lasers.

Mikron Tool SA Agno says it has achieved a quantum leap in milling of stainless steel, titanium, chrome-cobalt alloys and superalloys with the CrazyMill Cool.

Emuge Corp. announced the introduction of an extensive, expanded thread milling program for oil and gas manufacturing applications, including a new line of solid carbide thread mills and insert thread milling systems.

Manufacturers, especially job shops, know better than most the pressures of ever-increasing customer demands and the equally demanding requirements to control costs. Multi-purpose tools have been one method many shops use to bridge the gap — excellent in certain materials and "good enough" in others to get the job done. Field tests are confirming the WIDIA VariTap delivers the best of both worlds: superior tapping performance in multiple work materials without sacrificing part quality or tool life.

Job shops around the world may have business and customer requirements unique to each company, but concerns on how to improve costs and secure more business are common to all. "Shops want more performance options, and at the same time don't want multiple, job- or material-specific tooling solutions tying up their inventory," says Mark Filosemi, global product manager, threading, grooving, and cut-off for WIDIA. "Where productivity is concerned, particularly in grooving, and cut-off, you have to have a versatile system to be serious. That's where the WIDIA WMT platform is a proven winner, because shops can do more with it."

A new electric O.D. clamping end prep tool for use on both thin-wall and heavy-wall tubes with a high percentage of chrome, especially in high purity applications, is being introduced by ESCO Tool.