Ceramic Inserts triple cast iron milling productivity.
Press Release Summary:
Fix Perfect ceramic inserts have 8 true cutting edges and run 3 times faster in cast iron milling operations than conventional carbide inserts. Inserts are made of Kyon3500 ceramic that has shock resistance needed to perform roughing operations on cast iron at very high speeds, chiploads, and depths of cut. On-edge or tangentially mounted insert puts 1/2 in. of carbide behind cutting edge of 0.5 in. inscribed circle insert.
Original Press Release:
New Kennametal Milling Program Can Triple Cast Iron Milling Productivity
(Latrobe, PA) Kennametal's new Fix Perfect cast iron milling line, featuring the first ceramic inserts with eight true cutting edges, can triple cast iron milling productivity. The key to the improvements offered by the new milling cutters and inserts is a new ceramic grade, Kyon3500, that runs three times faster in cast iron milling operations than conventional carbide. The new line also offers eight true cutting edges that can be used at full depths of cut. "I have seen cost savings ranging from $170,000 to $420,000 per year and increases in machine capacity of up to 2,000 hours per year by companies that have implemented these new cutters," said Tim Marshall, Product Manager for Kennametal.
A major factor in the performance of the new milling line is Kyon3500, a ceramic grade that has the shock resistance needed to perform roughing operations on cast iron at very high speeds, chiploads, and depths of cut. Another factor is a unique on-edge or tangentially mounted insert that theoretically puts a half inch of carbide behind the cutting edge of a one-half inch inscribed circle (IC) insert as opposed to only one-eight or three-sixteenths of an inch with traditional geometry. "Our unique on-edge geometry makes it possible to run our Kyon3500 inserts up to three times faster than carbide materials while maintaining the same chipload and depth of cut," said Glenn Sheffler, Standard Products Engineer for Kennametal. "These are also the first ceramic inserts in the industry to offer eight true cutting edges that can be used at their full depth of cut."
The new Fix Perfect cast iron milling line includes coarse and fine pitch Oo/90o and 20O/70O face mills in sizes ranging from 2 inches to 12 inches effective cutting diameters. Cutters are available with 0 lead angles, offering depths of cut up to 0.236 inches with one-half inch IC, eight-edge inserts, and 20 lead angles, offering depths of cut up to 0.217 inches with one-half inch IC, eight-edge inserts. The cutters have adjustable pockets that make it possible to use wiper inserts to perform roughing and finishing operations simultaneously. These cutters can also be used with four-edge inserts that raise maximum depth of cut to 0.315 inches at a 0o lead angle. Kennametal also offers cutters that take 5/8 inch IC inserts and offer even higher depths of cut.
"The extraordinary breadth of our line means that you can select a coarse or fine pitch cutter with ceramic or carbide inserts that can deliver optimum performance on any machine," Sheffler said. He cited the example of machining class 35 gray cast iron with a 5-inch diameter cutter at an axial dept of cut of 0.160 inches and a radial depth of cut of 3.66 inches. Carbide inserts can be used at 950 surface feet per minute cutting speed and 0.010 inch feed per tooth while Kyon3500 inserts can run at 2400 surface feet per minute and 0.006 inch chipload. Using carbide inserts with a coarse pitch cutter results in a feed rate of 73 inches per minute while drawing 15.5 horsepower. Moving to ceramic inserts in the same cutter makes it possible to increase feed rate to 110 inches per minute while drawing 21 horsepower. Using Carbide inserts in a fine pitch cutter provides a feed rate of 109 inches per minute at 23 horsepower. Ceramic inserts in a fine pitch cutter delivers the ultimate in performance, 165 inches per minute feed rate, while staying with in the machine's limits - 31.9 horse power. Using all the machine's available horsepower with high performance tooling will ensure the highest productivity possible. How this helps the user is simple: By increasing the tool life only, user gets more parts but at the same time/part, reducing part cost up to 2%. Increases in cutting speeds and tool life not only reduce part cost approximately 15%, but allow for greater capacity on the shop floor. The user has more capacity to take on additional jobs without investing in more machines.
