level of heat resistance is required. In recent years, however, nickel-based alloy applications have become more widespread for such applications as automotive components and household combustion equipment.
“The smaller the grain size, the harder the material and the more wear-resistant the coating.”
To meet industry demand, OSG has developed a total
solution for machining nickel-based heat-resistant alloys, the EXOPRO-WWHO-Ni 3D and 5D carbide drill series. The drills are engineered with sharper cutting edges for machin- ing treated nickel-based alloys. The sharp cutting edges are designed to suppress the generation of heat during machin- ing and promote stable creation of cutting chips. A weak twist shape is used to attain high tool rigidity for machining high-precision holes. The drills are able to produce small cutting chips to enable trouble-free chip evacuation and stable machining. The OSG’s WXS coating enables high- speed machining with internally fed water-soluble coolant for longer tool life.
Products for Machining Tough Materials Higher-temperature strength materials require high cut-
ting forces when machining. To meet the requirements for turning tough alloys, both in higher speeds and feeds for faster turnaround times and longer tool life (more parts per tool), KCU10 Beyond grade from Kennametal Inc. (Latrobe, PA) for OD and ID turning, grooving, plunging, undercut- ting, and threading and KCU25 Beyond grade for threading, grooving, cutoff, and other turning applications both benefit from new PVD coating technology. Special surface treat- ments improve machining performance in high-temperature materials increasing in many cases, speeds, feeds, or depth of cut while reducing related wear issues like depth-of-cut notching. Beyond KCU10 also features a dual-layer coating applications with a top layer of AlSiTiN atop a second layer of AlTiN. The boundary between the two layers serves to help deflect microcracks. A new family of turning inserts from Iscar Metals Inc.
(Arlington, TX) brings SumoTec performance and durability to CVD and PVD carbide grades. “The SumoTec special treatment smooths the coated surface and reduces imperfections left
from the coating process. The post coating treatment reduces the friction between the tool and the workpiece materials. The end result is a lower temperature, improved resistance against edge chipping, reduced built-up edge, and better all around edge life reliability in a broad range of material applications,” said Randy Hudgins, Iscar national product manager-turning. SumoTec carbide grades include IC8150, IC8250, and IC8350 for mild steel and alloy steel, IC5005 and IC5010 for cast iron, IC6015 and IC6025 for stainless steel, IC806 for superalloys, and IC807 for general-purpose applications. Emuge Corp. has introduced Top Cut, a new series of high- performance carbide end mills that features a new variable helix flute technology, and a newly developed variant of the high heat-resistant TiAlN coating. Top Cut end mills are made of micrograin carbide with proprietary relief ground cutting edges for performing roughing as well as finish-cutting opera- tions. Emuge offers a wide range of thin film wear-resistant coatings, including titanium nitride (TiN), titanium carbonitride (TiCN), and chromium nitride (CrN) for its taps, end mills, and carbide thread mills. ME