Innovations in Milling Products Ensure Optimal Performance
Maximize your shop’s throughput by utilizing the advances made in the production of end mills, thread mills, thread formers and inserts.
Posted: April 19, 2022
Avoid the loose tool factor, tool slippage and other challenges that impact production processes by making the most of high precision milling tools. Among the benefits are the reliability and stability your company will realize within its processes.
Take Thread Mill Cutting into the Next Century
Advent Tool & Manufacturing Inc. (Trevor, WI) continues to be one of the world’s largest providers of comprehensive thread cutting solutions. Advent is dedicated to continuous research and development and exploring new materials and applications that allow us to introduce new high-performance products. A continuous goal of Advent Tool & Manufacturing Inc. is to supply machine shops and manufacturers across the globe with solid carbide, inserted thread mills, and custom form mills designed and manufactured to specifically meet your machining needs while focusing on job adaptability, longer tool life, and faster cycle times.
New Thread Mills and Thread Gages Broaden the SELF-LOCK Line
EMUGE-FRANKEN USA (West Boylston, MA), a leading manufacturer of high-performance thread mills, end mills, and other products, has expanded its line of SELF-LOCK thread locking tools. This includes new EMUGE ZGF-S-Cut Thread Mills, in addition to EMUGE High Ramp Precision Thread Gages designed for gaging SELF-LOCK thread profiles.
The new ZGF-S-Cut SELF-LOCK Thread Mills with helical flutes, multiple teeth and TIALN-T46 coating produce self-locking threads that are ideal in demanding industry applications such as aerospace where nickel alloys, titanium and stainless steel are the norm. A unique design enables three tooth pitches to simultaneously rough and finish-cut threads, dramatically increasing tool life and reducing cycle times. These thread mills have a left-hand helix flute design with left-hand spindle rotation, which enhances stability and cutting performance.
The new High Ramp Precision NO-GO Thread Plug Gages are used to check the lower thread ramp point for possible ramp angle errors and are used along with standard SELF-LOCK Thread Plug Gages to verify all thread profile features. The special profile of the SELF-LOCK threads allows an even distribution of stress over the entire thread length, eliminating slippage.
www.emuge.com/products/taps/self-lock-taps
FIX8™ Turning System Increases Productivity of Heavy-duty Turning Operations
Kennametal Inc.’s (Pittsburgh, PA) FIX8 heavy-duty turning system delivers maximum metal removal rates in steel, stainless steel and cast iron. With eight cutting edges per insert, the FIX8 turning system increases productivity of any heavy-duty turning operation, providing the lowest cost per edge while reducing cutting forces up to 15 percent.
“FIX8 is designed to cover a wide range of applications, including turning and facing, smooth surfaces, interrupted, and heavily interrupted cuts,” said Matthew Fuerst, product manager, Kennametal. “From medium depth-of-cut to roughing in steels, cast iron, and challenging materials like stainless steel, FIX8 handles it all. Even extreme feed rates of up to 1.4 mm (0.055″) and depths of cut up to 12 mm (0.472″) are possible with FIX8.”
The insert features a rigid clamping system that pulls the insert securely into the pocket seat, offering superior stability that enables the insert to withstand large cutting forces and vibrations for optimal performance. The tool holder features precision 3D coolant technology, where three coolant nozzles are directed to the rake face, controlling temperature, chip evacuation and supporting chip formation. Coolant exit holes in two separate locations are directed toward the flank of the insert, controlling the heat in the cutting zone and prolonging tool life.
Retention Knobs Designed to Reach Deeper into a Holder’s Threaded Bore
Insufficient holding of toolholders is far more typical of machining center processes than most shops realize — whether you are running one mill or hundreds. This critical “loose-tool” factor presents a myriad of issues industry wide in terms of production, time and tooling.
JM Performance Products, Inc. (Fairport Harbor, OH), a leading manufacturing innovator of CNC mill spindle optimization products, has been spearheading the charge to overcome this manufacturing bind with its “high torque” or lower-deformation retention knobs. An essential element of the patented design is a knob that is longer and reaches a little deeper into the holder’s threaded bore. As a result, all thread engagement occurs in a region of the toolholder where the diameter is large, and where there is correspondingly more material to resist deformation.
Key design elements of these high torque retention knobs include relief below the flange that forces threads into a deeper cross section of the toolholder; they are also hard turned to ensure precision fit and balance for high-speed operations.
Software Module for Thread Turning Overcomes the Risk of Chip Jams
Sandvik Coromant’s (Mebane, NC) new machining method enables controlled chip breaking in thread turning applications. Launched within the existing CoroPlus® Tool Path software, OptiThreading™ is a software module that will help manufacturers overcome one of the most significant issues within thread turning — the risk of chip jams and their associated downtime. The CoroPlus Tool Path software offers programming support for external and internal thread turning operations. The software generates NC codes based on cutting data parameters to secure the correct number of passes with evenly distributed cutting forces for optimal productivity, tool life and process security. Successful chip control is the key to good component quality when thread turning. In thread turning, chips coil around robots, chucks, tools and components; and can also get caught in conveyors.
The module is available as part of a subscription to the CoroPlus Tool Path and is developed specifically for CoroThread® 266 tools and inserts. As part of the solution, CoroPlus Tool Path helps users develop optimized OptiThreading tool paths that specifically overcome the challenge of chip control. This is achieved by offering tool paths that deliver controlled, oscillating movements for interrupted cuts that go in and out of the cut on all passes except the last one.
New Indexable Insert for High Feed Milling Cutter Optimizes Performance
Walter USA, LLC (Waukesha, WI) has introduced an SDMX indexable insert for its Walter M4002 high feed milling cutter. This square positive, cost-effective universal insert lowers power requirements thanks to its highly positive geometries. These indexable inserts are thick for maximum process reliability and provides four cutting edges per indexable insert with a curved cutting edge for maximum stability.
There are two indexable insert sizes with facet: SDMX0904ZDR-E27 and SDMX1205ZDR-E27. The M4002 cutter provides a depth of cut of 1.5 mm or 2.0 mm and is available in diameters of 25-to-125 mm or 1-to-4 in. and is ideal for high-speed milling in steel and cast iron, stainless steel and materials with difficult cutting properties.
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