ITC highlights Widia holemaking and threading products; underlines UK tool design and manufacture capability at MACH 2014

The new lines, which are part of the company's Slimline catalogue of products, will be a major focus of the company's exhibition stand, including the new additions of VariDrill and VariTap. ITC will highlight the benefits of the Widia range of solid carbide and HSS end-mills in the Slimline catalogue, but particular prominence will be given the holemaking and threading applications, a side of the ITC business that has evolved and grown significantly over the last 12 months, the company reports. New products from this stable will include the new VariDrill range of solid carbide drills available in 3xD, 5xD and 8xD. With an advanced point geometry design that is said to offer the ultimate solution in multi-purpose drilling, the VariDrill is "ideal for use on a variety of materials with extended tool life". VariDrill has "delivered exceptional results in the marketplace since its recent introduction", with this put down to the combination of a margin-less geometry design that evenly distributes cutting forces, together with a core design that promotes free chip flow and evacuation. This stabilises the cutting forces to reduce friction, heat, chip jamming and scratching. This all results in improved hole quality and finish that is said to be far beyond the realms of competitor drills. With a precise shank to reduce run-out and the offer of through-coolant options, the VariDrill is described as the complete high performance drill for all material types in all industry sectors. Complementing the VariDrill will be the new VariTap range that is fresh from its world première at EMO in September. VariTap has been developed to deliver thread making performance that can match the results achieved by the VariMill and VariDrill products from Widia. The VariTap series of high performance taps incorporate an optimised geometry to deliver exceptional performance levels on a vast selection of ductile materials. The multi-purpose tapping line is said to be ideal for carbon and alloy steels, stainless steels, ductile iron and cast aluminium. This versatility cuts inventory requirements and costs for customers, highlights ITC. And the high-vanadium HSS-E taps ensure optimal threading performance on various material types via exceptional wear resistance and extended tool life. Extended tool life is also a result of the propriety PVD coating that is applied in-house. This PVD coating supports the reduction of tapping torque and improves wear resistance. Like other offerings from the 'Vari' stable of Widia products, the VariTap has a unique geometry design that includes a spiral point. This provides a low tapping torque that rapidly pushes chips ahead of the tap in 'through hole' applications. For blind holes, the VariTap series offers geometries that demonstrate rapid swarf evacuation through polished flutes. This spiral flute geometry reduces 'nesting', with continuous chip flow further reducing stress on the tap to deliver improved thread finish and extended tool life. VariTap is available in multiple tap dimensions and geometries with ANSI, DIN length/ANSI shank, DIN 371 and 376 and UNJC/UNJF all catered for. The various VariTap ranges are available with semi-bottoming chamfers, Form B plug chamfer, Form C semi-bottoming chamfers and spiral point plug chamfers. The launch of the new VariTap will be a welcome addition to the ITC stable and will ITC will also highlight its ability to manufacture specialised tooling solutions at short lead times from its UK manufacturing facility, something beyond the scope of alternate cutting tool vendors, claims the company. While the majority of cutting tool manufacturers import specialised products from abroad on lengthy lead-times; a key USP for ITC is having a UK-based technical team that can conduct bespoke projects and manufacture solutions at the company's Midlands-based headquarters. This technical engineering team will be present at the event to demonstrate how the Tamworth manufacturer can improve productivity, tool life and component quality whilst reducing tooling costs, cycle times and inventory requirements. MACH 2014 - Birmingham NEC, 7-11 April