True 90 Degree Shoulder Milling

Numerous precision parts in transportation, moldmaking, general engineering, and more require true 90 deg shoulders and floors with superior surface finish. Economic and competitive pressures require manufacturers of all parts to maximize metal removal and tool life. The new VSM490 double-sided shoulder milling platform from WIDIA Products Group (Latrobe, PA) is a powerful advantage for achieving all this and more. “Go ahead and get aggressive with feed rates,” says global product manager Juan Seculi. “Not only will you see the depth of cut is much bigger (up to 15 mm or 0.590 in), scallop or stepdown marks are barely noticeable. Poor surface quality means additional operations and higher cycle times. Take the VSM490 performance upgrade and add that double-sided inserts deliver a sizeable cost benefit over single-sided tools and the advantages become compelling.”

Designed for low horsepower draw and free machining, VSM490 delivers an effective one-two punch of reduced horsepower at the machine and higher speed and feed rates that get jobs done faster and/or with an improved surface quality. With four cutting edges and multiple corner nose radii available, the robust VSM490-15 inserts provide added stability and reliability in addition to delivering true 90 deg shoulders and floors. Two insert geometries are available: MM (universal), making it the first choice for a range of work materials; and ML (light) with sharper cutting edges resulting in lower cutting forces for mild steels and stainless.

VSM490 cutter bodies made with tight tolerances to ensure minimum run-out have an integral chip gash design for excellent chip evacuation along with hardened-steel construction and hardened pocket seats for improved resistance to deformation. They are available in shell, screw on, cylindrical shank, and Weldon shank models with internal air and coolant capability. “The VSM490 portfolio is engineered for multiple applications in multiple materials, making it a go-to milling tool,” adds Seculi. “Users should expect true 90 deg shoulders and floors, superior surface finish on both, and higher metal removal rates at lower horsepower for savings all around.”

Moreover, VSM490 is available through NOVO™, the company’s digital process knowledge application. With powerful process knowledge available on iPad™ and other digital devices, NOVO helps users define machining features, such as shoulder milling in specific work materials, and then immediately reduces the product set to those like VSM490 that can do the job, taking into account constraint requirements such as material, tolerance, and machining sequence for both single tools and multi-tools. NOVO then ranks the results — based on knowledge-based rules — to best meet the challenges of the application as defined by the customer’s operating environment and user preferences. This provides far more useful process knowledge than any online catalog alone, all obtained in a fraction of the time. VSM490 Starter Kits in both metric and inch, including cutter bodies, end mills, and WIDIA Victory™ grade inserts covering a variety of applications are available by contacting your WIDIA distributor.

In automotive and transportation, aerospace, energy, and general engineering, growth brings competition and increasing customer demands for improved performance and cost control. VariMill GP™ from WIDIA is a powerful end-milling response that brings significant benefits (multi-function flexibility, consistent performance, increased tool life, and affordability) to manufacturers across a number of fronts. VariMill GP (General Purpose) is the latest in the “Vari” family of tools, which extends to VariDrill™ and VariTap™. “The ‘Vari-’ in VariMill stands for variability, and essentially, this means high flexibility for manufacturers,” says global product manager Bernd Fiedler.

By nature, job shops live and die by their ability to attack multiple, small-lot jobs under tight deadlines. Removing more metal at high rates across multiple operations with a single go-to multi-function tool means lower tool costs and better throughput compared to a lineup of high-performance specialty options. VariMill GP is a portfolio of multi-purpose end mills suitable for roughing, semi-finishing, and finishing in an expanded range of work materials (aluminum, steels, stainless steels, and cast irons). The key benefits to manufacturing companies include reduced inventory and tool management on your machine tools as one tool covers roughing and finishing; lower tool costs due to long tool life at value pricing; and ease of reconditioning to keep the production flowing. All of these advantages make WIDIA a truly one-stop shop for the most value in solid-carbide end mills.

Consisting of two- and four-flute versions in square-end, chamfered-edge, and ball-nose configurations, VariMill GP end mills prove their performance increases through advanced design features. A 30 deg helix angle and eccentric relief provides strong edges and stability for roughing, semi-finishing, and finishing with the same tool. A thick TiAlN coating contributes to extended tool life across steel, stainless steel, and cast iron workpieces and milling, ramping, or slotting operations. VariMill GP mills are available in inch and metric sizes along with varying lengths and shank styles. Shops looking to handle more work across more materials will do well to increase their flexibility and lower their costs with these truly multi-function, long-life, general-purpose mills.

High-torque chucks also benefit milling performance and, with among the highest levels of transmittable torque due to a more compact design that features a 40 percent thicker front-wall cross-section, the new HydroForce HT universal hydraulic chuck provides the increased rigidity necessary for improved cutting parameters and better results. Clamping force is up to three times better than regular hydraulic chucks, and with improved vibration dampening, runout is three microns at 2X diameter overhang. Balance quality of G2.5 is achieved at speeds up to 25,000 rpm. “All this robust performance is available in a high-torque chuck requiring only two sizes for all your rotating tooling tasks,” according to Kennametal. Direct clamping is available for 20 mm and 32 mm (0.75 in and 1.5 in) diameters and reducer sleeves are applied for all other diameters.

The VariMill GP portfolio is also available through the NOVO digital process knowledge application.

WIDIA Products Group, 1600 Technology Way, Latrobe, PA 15650, 724-539-5000, www.widia.com.