tooling
and interrupted cuts. Other features of the new grade
include improved insert seating. Among Kennametal’s
other introductions were a new KenTIP geometry and
grade for drilling austenitic stainless steels, a new
generation of reamers from Rubig and the first view of its
KM25 quick change multi-station tooling system.
Tool holding specialists
On stands specialising in tool holding Gewefa offered its
usual comprehensive programme. New at MACH were a
range of Rineck heat shrink clamping units to
complement Gewefa’s extensive shrink tool holder
programme and there was a UK debut at MACH for the
OTT-Jakob range of power drawbars for steep taper tools,
HSK clamping units, unclamping units, rotary unions and
pull force gauges for power spindles. Also attracting
interest was the EWS-Slotting unit that permits slotting
operations to be undertaken on CNC lathes as part of the
machining cycle.
Aside from an impressive range of new insert grades,
Seco introduced a new range of its Jetstream pressure based
coolant delivery systems in low, medium and high pressure
options. The high pressure system - developed in
conjunction with Rolls Royce Plc - was demonstrated at
MACH 2008 on the Mazak, Takisawa and Mills
Manufacturing stands. Jetstream offers a new solution to
delivering coolant precisely to the cutting zone. Jetstream
tooling works by delivering a concentrated high pressure
jet of coolant at high velocity/straight to the optimum
position close to the cutting edge. The jet of coolant lifts the
chip away from the rake face, improving chip control and
tool life enabling increased cutting data to be applied.
There was also an emphasis on holemaking on the Seco
stand. Seco claims that 50-70% of all tool changes are
related to holemaking and with its Performax, Crownloc
and Feedmax drilling products, can improve hole making
productivity across the spectrum from roughing to onehit,
finished drilling.
Horn Cutting Tools had its largest ever MACH presence
supported by an impressive range of new products
including its System DA range of unitary and modular end
mills. The range is designed to offer a high level of
Corothread features a
new insert locking
interface leading to less
downtime and greater
continuity of production
WNT opted for a
strong presence in
Hall 5 alongside many of
the major machine tool
suppliers
56 MWP july 2008
flexibility and as well as solid cutter bodies, offers a
corresponding range of screw-in modular cutter heads,
designed for use with a range of parallel and tapered
shanks. Also new was the Horn Type M139 cutter which
has an overall diameter of 100 mm and is capable of
generating grooves as narrow as 1.4 mm wide to a depth of
25 mm; it uses ten single edged carbide inserts. A key
feature of Horn Type M139 is the self clamping insert
location. The ‘comma’ shaped insert has a V profiled
periphery which aligns it within a correspondingly
profiled open sided location in the disc-type steel holder.
The shape of the insert/pocket interface is such that the
insert clamping force increases under centrifugal force
when spinning in ‘free air’ and under cutting load.
Iscar announced it has considerably widened the
application range of milling cutters that have their inserts
clamped tangentially, rather than radially. Central to this
are its T290 inserts, leaving room for a thicker, more
torsion-resistant core and a larger number of inserts to be
clamped peripherally on the Sumomill tool body. This tool
is much stronger and can withstand higher impact loads,
minimising risk of fracture. Also new was the latest Series
4 version of its automated tool dispensing (ATD) system -
MATRIX - to improve tooling selection within
manufacturing sites. To supplement the standard bar code
reader for system access, Iscar now offers to write software
to allow customer-specific ID systems to be accommodated,
such as radio frequency and magnetic ID cards.
The carbon factor
Finally - in what is inevitably a snap shot of an enormous
amount of new products on display at a show the size of
MACH 2008, SGS Carbide Tool UK announced a new
carbon composite router developed specifically to eliminate
fibre-breakout when machining or trimming carbon reinforced
polymer materials. Until now, metal cutting tools
have been used inefficiently to machine composite
materials, SGS claim. The net result is high wastage due to
fibre-breakout and delamination, as well as excessive
production costs caused by rapid tool wear. The SGS Series-
20 CCR 12 flute routers eliminate the risk of fibre-breakout
and sheet delamination with the helix flute form and chip
breaking geometry providing a smoothly machined finish
that results in a reduction in the cutting forces required
and increased tool life. SGS also offers a re-grind service
for these tools.
To conclude, the tooling presence at MACH 2008 was
both comprehensive and brimming with imagination and
innovation, demonstrating clearly that as machine tools
become ever more complex, productive and demanding,
those challenged with producing the goods at the ‘cutting
edge’ are more than rising to the challenge.
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