Press Release
Expansion of "SEC Grooving Tool GND Type" Product Lineup and Release
January 14, 2015
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
*This press release was issued on October 27, 2014 in Japan.
We are adding a grooving and cut-off tool for small lathes with a minimum grooving width of 1.25 mm and a low-cutting force "GF Type" chipbreaker to our lineup. We are also adding new grades:"AC520U" for machining exotic alloys and cast iron, and high grade "AC425K" for machining of castiron. Each will go on sale in October this year.
Grooving is widely used for various machine parts such car components. Problems afflicting this process include chip separation that is more difficult than in normal turning, a tendency for chip blockages and machined surface defects to occur, and a tendency for high loads on the cutting edge and vibration of the tool due to the entire width of the cutting edge being in contact with the work material during machining.
The "SEC Grooving Tool GND Type," with its excellent chip management performance and high rigidity, has resolved these issues and contributed to improvements of efficiency and cost reductions in grooving.
We have now made use of these characteristics to expand our product lineup and enable compatibility with a wider range of processes. The following items will be expanded and released.
1．Characteristics
- (1)Smallest edge width in the world: 1.25-mm grooving and cutting tool
For cut-off of bars and the like by Swiss lathe, the grooving width of inserts for processing is chipped as-is and separated during cut-off of work materials. Use of inserts with a small grooving width reduces the amount of chips and contributes to reducing material costs. In addition, if there are no restrictions on groove width or tool path*1, it is possible to suppress vibration during machining by using an insert with a smaller grooving width to reduce cutting resistance.
In response to this issue, we have developed an insert with the world's smallest grooving width, 1.25 mm.* For the holder, we have added holders of 10 x 10 mm shank size and 12 x 12 mm shank size, contributing to a reduction in material costs for bar cut-off and an improvement in chip management during small width grooving. In addition, a tool with a cutting edge of 1.5 mm width will go on sale in March 2015.
* (As of July 2014 (checked by Sumitomo Electric). For two-corner-type unground products)
- (2)Low-cutting force chipbreaker*2 GF Type
Chattering is prone to occur during grooving and cut-off with machine tools of low rigidity or during grooving and cut-off of stainless steel.*3 To deal with such processes, we have developed a new "GF Type" breaker equipped for both suppression of vibration and chip control during machining.
For the "GF Type" breaker, the insert cutting edge is set to a rake angle of 30°.*4 We have adopted a sharp cutting edge configuration and a breaker configuration that prevents chip friction by point contact.
This allows a roughly 30% reduction in vibration during turning compared with our existing products and ensures stability while turning.
- (3)"AC520U" for machining exotic alloys and cast iron, and high grade "AC425K" for machining of cast iron
We will expand our lineup by adding the PVD-coated "AC520U" for machining exotic alloys and cast iron,*5 and the CVD-coated high grade "AC425K" for machining of cast iron,*6 which has been newly developed for grooving, to our existing products, the PVD-coated "AC530U" and the CVD-coated "AC830P".
2．Selection
Holders
| 1.25-mm width for external turning | 4 items |
|---|
Inserts
| GF type breaker (1.25-6-mm width) | 14 items (including AC520U below) |
|---|---|
| Grades AC520U (GG, GL, MG, ML, RG, CG, GF type breakers) AC425K (MG, ML, RG type breakers) |
46 items 18 items |
3．Sales plan
First year: ¥100 million
After 3 years: ¥300 million/year
4．Pricing
| Holder GNDLR1212JX-1.2512 (12 x 12 mm shank for 1.25-mm width) |
¥14,000 (¥15,120 including tax) |
|---|---|
| Insert GCMN3002-GF (3-mm width) | ¥1,690 (¥1,825 including tax) |
*1 Tool path：
The user-defined route of the cutting tool to cut parts.
*2 Breaker：
Protrusions and grooves positioned near the cutting edge of a tool to control the chips that form during machining.
*3 Chattering：
Vibration in tools and cutting materials that occurs during machining. Chattering results in deterioration in the appearance of machined surfaces and shortens tool life.
*4 Rake angle：
The angle of the cutting edge that affects such things as cutting resistance and chip separation.
*5 PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition)：
An method for forming a thin layer on the surface of a substance. Involves the deposition of a thin layer of the target substance in the vapor phase on the surface of the substance by means of a physical technique.
*6 CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition)：
An method for forming a thin layer of a substance. Involves forming a layer on substrate material heated in a reaction vessel by feeding in a raw material gas containing the components of the target layer, and allowing a chemical reaction to proceed in the vapor phase or on the substrate surface.