Slot milling at a high feed rate

The innovative knuckle form profile produces compact swarf and Hoffmann was able to construct the milling cutter with five cutting edges. As a result, at a constant feed rate per tooth, the new five-edge end mill is said to achieve 25% higher process efficiency than a classic four-edge end mill.

Through the knuckle form profile, the cutting pressure is lower and higher feed rates can be obtained with a constant load. Due to the compact chips and the lower cutting forces, the new end mill is particularly suitable both for milling deep slots from solid and also for machining delicate components.

Based on its unusual geometry, it produces chips that are short, fine and particularly tightly rolled. These are easily cleared by the flat chip-breaker recesses. The directional chip discharge increases the process reliability and the sturdy core diameter increases tool stability.

The end mill permits plunge angles up to 10° and the cutting-edge design includes honing to minimise the risk of breakaways. The ultra-fine grain substrate greatly increases the resistance to breakage whilst the enhanced coating also optimises the wear characteristics and reduces the rate of heat input. The unequal spacing ensures a smooth cutting action.

The solid carbide end mill extends the MasterSteel product range, which currently includes the existing classic four-edge end mills and also the MasterSteel PickPocket universal end mill plus two solid carbide drills. With these the Hoffmann Group says it offers state-of-the-art high performance tools for every application.

The Garant MasterSteel SlotMachine achieves a feed rate per tooth up to 0.1mm at cutting depths up to twice the tool diameter (2xD). It is available with cutter diameters from 4 to 20mm and can be ordered immediately both from the Hoffmann Group eShop and the usual sales channels.

A video of the roughing end mill can be seen at http://ho7.eu/slot_en

Hoffmann Group www.hoffmann-group.com