New grades and ball nose geometries

iMX is an end mill system from Mitsubishi Materials that combines the advantages of both solid carbide and indexable end mills.

Significant performance advantages and savings can be gained especially when long overhang applications are required. The cost of extra-long solid carbide end mills is negated by using exchangeable heads; it is this interchangeability that also reduces tool change times because the head can be simply unscrewed rather than be unclamped from a chuck or shrink fit holder as a conventional end mill would be.

The iMX series has recently been expanded with two new types of ball nose head and carbide grades, EP8110 and EP8120. These new grades are designed specifically for hardened steel applications and have a new multi-layer coating that has increased adhesion to the substrate.

This provides the better wear resistance needed when machining harder materials. The two new head geometries iMX-B3FV and iMX-B2S are ball nose types with three and two flutes respectively. The three-flute variant type employs a high helix ball geometry that is resistant to fracture and a strong back taper making it suitable for stable deep shoulder machining. The two-flute type has a low helix ball design that makes it ideal for finishing hardened steels up to 65 HRC.

A key feature of iMX is the double face contact of carbide head and holder that enables security and rigidity close to that of a solid type end mill. This is made possible because the taper and end clamping faces of the head and the holder are both solid carbide and only the threaded part is composed of steel. Benefits of this secure and accurate clamping method when compared to the usual steel to carbide approach are greater efficiency from increased cutting parameters, improved accuracy and the all-important factor of reliability.

An exchangeable head range of end mills has obvious advantages for reducing inventory levels and tool change times. Additionally, they are capable of high performance over a wide variety of applications. The primary application area is the machining of titanium and heat resistant alloys such as Inconel, but also the high-performance milling of stainless steels, carbon and alloy steels, and hardened steels.

This wide variety of applications is made possible not just by the strong and reliable clamping system, but by the Smart Miracle coated carbide grade EP7020. The super fine, super hard carbide substrate has an innovative (Al, Cr) N Smart Miracle coating that is said to deliver substantially better wear resistance than conventional coatings.

The surface of the coating has also been given a smoothening treatment, resulting in better machined surfaces, reduced cutting resistance and improved chip discharge and tool life – especially when machining stainless steels and other difficult-to-cut materials.

Mitsubishi Materials www.mitsubishicarbide.com

 

 

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