Product News

Walter has unveiled the Walter BLAXX M3024 heptagon milling cutter, the latest entry in its line of high-productivity milling tools. The M3024, in diameters from 1.5" to 6.0" (40mm to 160mm) boasts the line's trademark wear-protected black tool body, plus indexable inserts with 14 cutting edges, which reduces tooling costs. 

Northern Engineering and Manufacturing (NEMI) has released a vacuum chuck compatible with both horizontal and vertical machining centers. This fixture can used either with the Kurt 4-face cage or on a machine bed and is completely compatible with all of NEMI’s standard vacuum fixturing. 

Schunk Inc. offers modular clamping columns that enable direct clamping of molding plates, freeform parts and other workpieces on the machine table without additional clamping devices or interfering contours. The clamping pillars ensure collision-free processes, a defined clamping situation and a reliable simulation of the machining process, according to the company.

GF Machining Solutions, Lincolnshire, Ill., this week introduced rConnect, a new central communications platform for the company’s milling, EDM and laser texturing machines. Advancing the Industry 4.0 vision of the smart factory of the future, rConnect offers the industry’s most in-depth remote machine tool analysis, according to a Jan. 20 news release from the company.

Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich., introduced two new insert sizes to its family of 335.25 disc milling cutters, a line that is said to provide manufacturers with high flexibility and productivity. With the additions of XNHQ inserts in 9mm and 12mm sizes, the cutter now offers a range of cutting widths from 0.531" to 1.26" (13mm to 32mm) for an even greater variety of applications.

Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, formerly Hexagon Metrology, recently unveiled its new, top-of-the-line addition to the ROMER Absolute Arm portable coordinate measuring machine product line—the 77 Series, which the company described as the most accurate ROMER Absolute Arm to date.

"These enhancements improve operations, eliminate restrictions to the working area and allow an extremely precise display of the spindle position," the company said. The new sensor is said to be capable of fast, "math-free" positioning of the spindle axis on the edges of the workpiece, and offers precision of 0.01mm when used with original Haimer probe tips.

Scientific Cutting Tools Inc. (SCT) stocks UN thread mills for cutting from 4-40 up to 3-1/2-8, as well as NPT, BSPP and BSPT 1/16 to 2½ and up, according to the company based in Simi Valley, Calif. Except for staggered-tooth thread mills, all of SCT's solid-carbide, straight-flute thread mills are crest-cutting, and are used for cutting internal threads only.

Wringmaster Systems, Kalamazoo, Mich., recently introduced a new line of live bottom wringers, the company announced in a Jan. 21 news release. The smallest live bottom wringer features a 10" diameter bowl with pneumatic, top-mounted discharge, according to the company.

Titan Tool Supply Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., this month unveiled a new fiberoptic illuminator that reportedly brings sustainability, performance, efficiency and convenience to users of illuminated borescopes and microscopes, the company announced in a Jan. 19 news release.

BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc., Hoffman Estates, Ill., this month introduced the RBX12 Air Power Spindle, a high-speed, air-driven spindle said to be capable of achieving a variable rotational speed of 100,000rpm to 120,000rpm, according to a BIG KAISER news release issued Jan. 18.

CNC Broach Tool LLC, Marina del Rey, Calif., recently introduced a line of off-the-shelf, inserted keyway broach tools for CNC lathes and mills, according to a company news release dated Jan. 20. Rather than transfer parts to a separate broaching machine or farm out the job, CNC Broach Tool's patented design reportedly allows manufacturers to use the keyway broaching tools with CNC lathes and mills to broach blind or through internal keyways. 

Isotech Inc., a supplier of precision linear motion products based in Hatfield, Penn., has expanded its line of motion-control products to include ball and trapezoidal screw drives for positioning and other motion-control applications, according to the company website.

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 P6005-WKK45C insert design features a new high-performance geometry for maximum productivity in cast iron materials, and 110° prismatic seat for minimal run-out and stable positioning.

The Grieve Corp., Round Lake, Ill., recently announced that its 2000°F gas-heated furnace—No. 862—used for preheating molds includes 750,000 BTU/HR installed in four modulating natural gas burners with a floor-mounted combustion air blower. Workspace dimensions are 36" wide x 48" deep x 36" high.

CNC Software Inc. and Sandvik Coromant recently agreed to collaborate on the integration of the Adveon Tool Library and Mastercam. The tool library will help Mastercam users further improve their machining productivity and security, while saving time during machine set-up, according to a Dec. 16 news release issued by Sandvik.

Building on the technology behind the high-performance solid-carbide MP-X 3xD and 5xD drills, the new Dormer R459 coolant-through 8xD drill reportedly reduces machining time for operators by eliminating the pecking process, according to Dormer Pramet, Elgin, Ill.

Optodyne Inc., Rancho Dominguez, Calif., a maker of laser measurement, calibration and compensation systems, recently introduced a new and improved laser calibration system—the MCV-500H and MCV-5000H. The MCV-500H and MCV-5000H laser calibration system is a basic system for linear displacement measurement, the company said in a news release issued Dec. 17, 2015.

BenQ America Corp., Costa Mesa, Calif., has introduced the next version of its CAD/CAM-specific monitor. The BL2711U is said to be the world's first 27" 4K2K ultra-high-definition resolution monitor with built-in 100 percent sRGB, IPS technology and exclusive CAD/CAM, animation and low blue light modes for designers to improve design efficiency.

Seco has increased the application range of its wear-resistant TH1000 and TH1500 turning insert grades by adding new positive and negative geometries, chip breakers and nose radius sizes to the line. The additions allow manufacturers that process hardened steels, superalloys and cast irons to further increase their machining capabilities.