Mexican Media Brands
Small Indexable Tools for Live Tooling
Live tooling spindles—motorized spindles in a CNC lathe turret that hold a drill, end mill or other tools—have been getting more powerful in recent years: it’s no longer uncommon for them to reach 10,000 rpm at upwards of 5 hp (3.73 kW) for a short time period.
Share
That’s because there has been a concern with securely mounting the insert in the pocket.
But a new line of indexable and interchangeable cutting tools from Iscar Metalworking (iscarmetals.com) has been developed for use with live tooling on small-feature drilling, milling, and slitting applications, the line includes:
• Micro and nano-sized indexable milling inserts used with tools that have shank diameters as small as 0.312 in. That smallest one, for example, has two flutes and is capable of taking an 0.125-in. depth of cut.
• The SumoCham Mini indexable carbide drill series covers the diameter range of 0.158 to 0.232 in. and is available in 3× diameter and 5× diameter lengths. Changing such a tiny insert would be easy to fumble. To ensure precise head alignment and easy installation, the drill comes with a novel installation/extraction key.
• SlimSlit indexable slitting tools enable slitting as narrow as 0.024-in. wide. The tool design also allows higher chip loads, enabling higher table feeds and thus shorter cycle times.
The company says these tools can equal or better the performance of solid-carbide equivalents while also offering the benefits of indexable tools—high repeatability, lower tool cost and no offsets needed when renewing a tip.—M.A.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis
How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.
-
When Automated Production Turning is the Low-Cost Option
For the right parts, or families of parts, an automated CNC turning cell is simply the least expensive way to produce high-quality parts. Here’s why.
-
Jeeps Modified for Moab
On Easter morning in Moab, Utah, when the population of that exceedingly-hard-to-get-to town in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth has more than doubled, some people won’t be hunting for Easter eggs, but will be trying to get a good look at one of the vehicles six that Jeep has prepared for real-life, fast-feedback from the assembled at the annual Easter Jeep Safari.
