Power, speed, tactics, stamina – successful boxers need to bring together many different characteristics to emerge victorious from the ring. This image of versatility and talent is an apt metaphor for the new four-edged FIGHTMAX HPC roughing/finishing endmill for steel materials without a significant chromium content, developed by Inovatools. With this, the Bavarian tool specialists are sending a powerhouse into the arena – one that can achieve helix angles of up to 45° and can rough and finish all in one process, depending on the cutting challenge. Thanks to the advantages of its design, the FIGHTMAX quickly delivers high feed rates and enhanced material removal whether wet or dry.

"If someone had told me a few years ago that there would soon be high-performance end mills that I could use for helical plunging directly at 45° instead of the current maximum of 20°, I would have shaken my head in disbelief," commented Douglas Kline, managing director at tool manufacturer Inovatools USA LLC. "It was made possible within a short space of time by meeting the cutting challenges and using the innovative prowess of visionary tool developers. Our FIGHTMAX HPC roughing/finishing endmill is one of the top products in its class. The versatile tool gives cutters a great deal of flexibility, allowing them to make various high-quality cutting operations on steel materials cost-effectively, with just one tool."

Special, tough, extremely fine-grain carbide mixed in a balanced ratio forms the basis of the tool design to compensate in the best possible way for the high and varying loads to which it will be exposed in later use. The special design of the FIGHTMAX, with its unevenly split geometry and unequal spiral pitch (35°/38°), is a recipe for success for quiet, vibration-free operation and a high cutting volume, according to the company.

According to Kline, "One particular performance factor is the precisely defined rounding of the cutting edges in conjunction with the microgeometry. Thanks to the edge preparation, tiny nicks and irregularities are eliminated, even on a micron scale. This makes the cutting edges of the FIGHTMAX more resistant to premature wear as a result of edge chipping and microchipping, which can occur more quickly in the cutting process when untreated tools are used."

These benefits in the design of the FIGHTMAX combined with the large groove cross-sections with an extremely smooth finish for excellent chip evacuation enable high feed rate parameters even at considerable working depths. As Kline explained, "The FIGHTMAX can work at much higher roughing speeds than conventional HPC end mills, and when it comes to both roughing and finishing, FIGHTMAX achieves tool lives up to 62 percent longer, depending on the material. The surface quality and contouring accuracy are so good after finishing that there is no longer any need for costly and time-consuming rework."

In the production of grooves, for example, the FIGHTMAX can be operated at high feed rates while maintaining process reliability. The H5-quality shank design with concentricity of 0.005 mm and the unequal spiral pitch prevent disruptive vibrations even in the high-speed range. This means that users can create precise fitting grooves very quickly with extremely high cutting volumes. Because of the steep plunging angle of up to 45°, enormous quantities of material can be removed during pocket milling, for example. Owing to the low process temperature and excellent chip evacuation with helical milling, the FIGHTMAX scores highly with its very high material-removal rate.

The special, smooth VAROCON PLUS coating not only aids the swift removal of chips but also makes the FIGHTMAX highly resistant to temperature and wear. This is a prerequisite for a long service life. Special shank designs ensure a secure fit in the tool clamp, even in extreme cutting conditions. Short and free-length versions of the FIGHTMAX are available, with diameters ranging from 6 mm to 20 mm.

According to Kline, "The latest technology for grinding, edge preparation, measuring and coating are guarantees of our outstanding product quality. The FIGHTMAX has been optimized for machining steel materials in terms of carbide, geometry and chip clearance. In addition to its performance and surface quality, the roughing/finishing endmill clearly outscores its competitors in wear tests, achieving better service life by as much as 62 percent."