Advanced tools for advanced manufacturing

With the innovations promising reduced cycle times and longer tool life resulting in considerable cost savings for users, the event reinforced how the cost-effectiveness of the new tools could be further enhanced across the company’s already comprehensive range of turning, drilling, threading and milling solutions.

“This happens when the company’s technical sales team adds our ‘Engineering Kompetenz’ to customers’ machining problems to develop optimal solutions,” comments Walter GB managing director Ashley Battison.

An illustration of this, he continued, was the fact that the product launch was being staged at the AMRC where, as a Tier two partner, Walter GB works in conjunction with AMRC engineers and some of the latest CNC machines available to push the boundaries of machining routines in the quest for ever more efficient and effective production.

One major highlight of the event was the introduction to the UK of the M3255, a new generation porcupine cutter available in diameters from 50mm to 80mm, and with from four to six flutes carrying 16 to 30 inserts (depending on diameter/flutes) featuring the new Tiger.tec Silver CVD-coated WXM45X carbide grade.

With 27° helix and 12° radial rake angles and four cutting edges for peripheral inserts and two cutting edges for the lead inserts, in operation only one edge of the M3255 is in contact with the workpiece. The result is lower than usual running costs – a tool life of seven hours per cutting edge has been achieved on titanium workpieces.

It was reported that in tests on titanium structural parts for a major US passenger aircraft manufacturer, the M3255 cutter was run at a cutting speed of 45m/minute and a feed rate of 163m/minute, producing a width of cut of 25.4mm at a depth of 76.2mm, to achieve a metal removal rate of 23.7 in³/minute compared to the former 10.7 in³/minute.

In another example, the new cutter was used for rough pocketing on the AMRC’s Starrag STC 1250 machining centre, machining a 250mm x 120mm x 74mm deep pocket in titanium in 14 minutes.

A host of additional new tools and inserts were also announced at the AMRC including the RM5 geometry insert (with Tiger.tec Silver PVD Al203 coating) for roughing M class materials, which often limit speeds and feeds due to their chrome and nickel content. Walter says tool life increases of up to 100% are possible with effective precision coolant application.

Another release was extensions to the optimised X.treme Inox drilling range – promising operation at 50% higher feed rates than universal solid carbide drills; and the MC341 solid carbide cutter, available in diameters from 6mm to 20mm and with the WK40TZ coating – producing tool life increases of up to 100% and a 40% rise in productivity levels.

Walter Tools www.walter-tools.com