Seco Tools Inc. has announced the availability of TP0500, its newest turning grade to feature one of the company's wear-resistant Duratomic coatings. The new grade is suited to a variety of steel machining operations with stable cutting conditions and where a lot of heat is generated. Applications that can make significant gains using TP0500 include those requiring high metal-removal rates, such as the machining of large components for the power generation segment or for high-speed, high-productivity applications found in the automotive sector. Benefits of the new grade include increased speed capability--even with a long time in cut, fewer machine offsets, longer times between insert indexes and the ability to machine harder parts and to hold tighter tolerances. The wear-resistance of the TP0500 grade is due to its Duratomic coating in combination with a plastic-deformation resistant fine-grained substrate. Seco says its Duratomic coatings have proven to be about 15 percent tougher and 10 harder harder than traditional coatings. In tests run under identical conditions, an insert coated with the Duratomic process runs cooler compared to an identical insert coated with a conventional aluminum oxide coating. This means less crater wear, less deformation of the cutting edge and longer tool life. Grade TP0500 is offered in a complete range of chipbreaker geometries that includes negative inserts, positive inserts and high-feed wiper inserts.