MC Machinery Systems, a Lathe Carbide Inserts subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp., offers its ZT Hybrid Wire for EDM machining. The hybrid wire features a baked-on external zinc layer for average speeds 30 percent faster than conventional brass wire, higher accuracy, better surface finish and clean cutting, according to the company. The wire is available Surface Milling Inserts in both hard and soft versions, with spool sizes ranging from P2 through P15, and from K125 through K250.
The baked-on zinc coating forms microscopic pockets on the wire’s surface that allow more water to integrate into the cutting process. The extra water maximizes spark energy for faster, more accurate cutting and finer finishes. The added wire texture also gets water closer to the brass core, promoting more efficient off-time cooling and minimizing the risk of electrode breakage.
The baking process adheres the outer zinc layer to the wire’s brass base better than conventional coating, the company says. This strong bond makes ZT Hybrid Wire more resistant to flaking, resulting in a cleaner cutting process that can reduce machine tool maintenance and extend operating life.
The Carbide Inserts Website: https://www.estoolcarbide.com/product/factory-wholesale-cnc-lathe-cutting-tools-solid-carbide-inserts-milling-inserts-bdmt11t308er-jt/
Shops can benefit in a number of ways by broaching on a CNC lathe. Locking a lathe’s spindle and driving a broaching tool in and out of a workpiece to create keyways and slots increases the number of operations that can be performed in a single chucking on a single machine. This improves feature-to-feature accuracy, reduces the amount of time for handling and setup, and eliminates the need for specialized broaching equipment.
Tools with brazed or replaceable carbide inserts are commonly used for such broaching operations. The latter version offers an advantage in that the insert—not the entire tool—can be replaced after it becomes worn. That way, the tool body can remain installed in the lathe’s turret during insert replacement, making it unnecessary to re-zero the tool after a new insert is installed.
Razorform Tools (Playa Del Rey, California) has a new twist on the replaceable insert concept for broaching tools. Its Razorform tool system is said to be the industry’s first indexable-insert-style broaching tool, providing two cutting edges per High Feed Milling Insert TiN-coated, micro-grain carbide insert. Once one insert edge becomes worn, a machine operator removes two screws securing the sizeable insert to the tool body and flips the insert around to the present the second cutting edge. This design not only decreases tooling cost, but also increases tool life and performance, the company says.
The size and proprietary geometry of the Razorform insert, in addition to the support provided by the tool body, offer stability during the cut to reduce chatter. The force of each longitudinal cut is directed through the middle of the insert and the heat-treated, 4140-steel tool body, which also contributes to overall system rigidity. The inserts are currently available in sizes to create slots from 1/8 to 5/16 inch wide. Custom widths are also available.
The company recommends using Cutting Carbide Inserts coolant during broaching operations primarily to wash chips out of the slot during machining. A typical depth of cut is 0.0015 inch per pass, but smaller depths may be necessary when broaching extremely hard materials.
One early adopter of this broaching tool system for CNC lathes is Baldor Electric, located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The manufacturer of electric motors had been using brazed-insert tools to machine keyways in 4140 steel workpieces. The company was able to machine 20 to 30 parts per brazed insert. The tool would then have to be removed from the machine and re-sharpened. Now, using the Razorform tool, it is possible to machine 100 parts per insert cutting edge and then index the insert to machine another 100 parts. Because the tool body remains installed in the machine during insert change, the company claims to save 10 to 15 minutes of downtime because it isn’t necessary for an operator to re-zero the tool.
Improving cycle time, chip control and tool life can be a challenge during heavy turning of gummy metals. In fact, it is common to sacrifice at least one of these factors, if not two. For instance, cutting deeper improves chip control and speeds up the operation, but it also raises the risk of rupturing the tool at any moment. Cutting shallower may prevent tool rupture, but it also slows down the operation, requires more passes and can create long, stringy chips that are hard to manage.
In the case of AWC Frac Valve, sudden edge failure often prevented the company from manufacturing even a single complete valve piece before Deep Hole Drilling Inserts its tooling failed. By retooling the application with a new insert from Ingersoll Cutting Tools (Rockford, Ill.), the company tripled the material removal rate and more than doubled tool life while eliminating tool failure.
AWC Frac Valve, a division of Archer Well, manufactures very large valves for the oil and gas industry in its 35-man shop located in Conroe, Texas. The company, running 24/5, uses a Doosan 400LM turning center for heavy-duty turning and facing operations in which a 480-pound billet of gummy 4130 steel is reduced to a 250-pound valve bonnet.
To produce this piece, the company used a conventional CNMG negative-rake tool that rarely lasted through one part. “We had to keep two back-up tools in the turret just to keep things going when one tool popped,” says Jim Beaver, AWC’s assistant production manager. “Often, the tool would Machining Carbide Inserts rupture midway through the first piece.”
Such short tool life was not an option for Mr. Beaver, who was charged with implementing plant-wide continuous improvement. Instead, he set a new tool-life requirement for the application of at least two pieces per edge. He pointed out the challenge to the company’s Ingersoll rep during their regular weekly plant walk-through. The scale of the operation and the cutting forces involved prompted the rep to bring in Eric Strieby, Ingersoll field turning product manager. Under Mr. Strieby’s guidance, AWC tested the Ingersoll CNMX Gold Duty indexable coated carbide insert on-site.
“It was like a beta test, but on a commercialized tool,” says Kirk Cudd, AWC production manager. “Should the tool break during the test, we wouldn’t have to pick up the tab.” By contrast, he says, many tool providers offer on-site testing and reduction to price, but only after the customer purchases the tool and pays for any replacements.
CNC lead man Ben Molinar ran the test on live parts through heavy OD roughing, OD finishing and facing on 4130 steel. The results appear in the table below. For comparison, Mr. Beaver tested the latest CNMG inserts from two other providers, but neither could meet the two-pieces-per-edge requirement consistently.
Once the tool proved out operationally at the parameters established in the test, Mr. Beaver did some fine-tuning. He eliminated the two back-up tools from the turret and ramped up the depth of cut to 0.325 inch for turning and 0.225 inch for facing. The inserts now last through at least two parts with no ruptures.
“Now the failure mechanism is gradual wear, not fracture, and the indicator for edge change is simply loss of finish,” he says. As a result, tool-related production stoppages disappeared altogether and tool servicing labor costs dropped significantly. For this job alone, Mr. Beaver says the savings associated with the retooling is $75,000 per year.
The Ingersoll CNMX tool’s seating scheme enables improved insert geometry—a key factor that helped it succeed in the valve bonnet application. According to Mr. Beaver, “the big, wide front edge really breaks up the chips on a pretty gummy metal.” The big chips peel off in easily controlled “six and nine” shapes.
Compared with conventional CNMMs and CNMGs, the new seating arrangement in the CMMX makes it possible to get two sides plus aggressive, positive geometry in the same insert—something never available before, says Ed Woksa, Ingersoll’s national turning product manager. “You can cut deeper without overloading the insert and still get the second side.”
CNMMs feature a neutral rake with a negative land at the cutting edge for improved strength, chip breaking and chip flow, which enables application of higher feed rates. However, these inserts must be single-sided because positive-rake tools cannot be flipped without damaging the cutting edges with the clamping forces. By contrast, CNMGs that are designed for heavier cuts are two-sided, yet they normally have neutral or slightly positive rakes ranging from 0 to 6 degrees, which raises cutting forces.
Unlike flat insert seats found in conventional toolholders, the Ingersoll CNMX seating scheme is based on four “rest pads” on the insert that mate with dimples in the seat. The cutting edge can be 5-degrees positive, which enables freer cutting, without risk of clamping damage because the rest pads, and not the cutting edges, bear the clamping forces.
“Tooling performance aside, Ingersoll was easier to work with on a very risky operation,” Mr. Beaver says. “Besides, we were looking for a tool-life improvement only and wound up with a cycle-time savings as well.” Looking ahead, he sees at least ten other heavy-turning jobs in which the new Ingersoll CNMX will likely bring about the same improvements.
IMCO Carbide Aluminum Inserts Carbide Tool’s new M936 Pow-R-Feed end mills are designed to provide faster part cycles and milling Carbide Turning Inserts speeds in steels, stainless steels and titanium machined on three-axis to five-axis CNCs, regardless of horsepower. The company displays the end mills in booth 2245 at Westec 2023.
The tools enables users to make toolpath moves without slowing down, as well as helical enter, ramp, slot and peripheral mill at rapid feed rates. Its specialized flute and core geometries and tough carbide core enable aggressive cutting parameters, while a proprietary end face enables aggressive ramping and helical entry parameters. According to the company, the end mill’s flute design and modern coating make it virtually impossible to clog.
The Diaset 240 contact presetter from Big Kaiser Precision Tooling features mineral cast construction, an updated spindle and a new digital control readout. The entry-level presetter’s “easy-run” system, developed by Innotool, enables smooth axis movement, while linear magnetic scales promote accuracy. The presetter checks runout to less than 0.0008" (0.030 mm) TIR and offers positioning accuracy of 0.0001" (0.002 mm), the company says. It offers and individual pneumatic locking mechanisms along the X and Z axis for fine adjustments.
The system is equipped with Carbide Inserts solid guides; an incremental dial indicator; a precisely ground, carbide touch probe; and a pneumatic foot pedal. A stable measuring column and the mineral-cast base increase rigidity and resist temperature fluctuations for repeatability and accuracy of measurements. The presetter features an integral ISO40 taper, and reduction adapters are available for other common interfaces. The two-axis indicator features a sensitive embedded mechanic to detect measuring pressures. The large digital display unit is located behind the spindle High Feed Milling Insert and features one serial port for connecting a Dymo SE 450 label printer. The presetter also can be equipped with tool shank adapters, precision test bars, a 30" × 30" workbench with lockable door and shelf, and more.
