Additions to the ITC portfolio receiving their world premiere at Southern Manufacturing will include the ITC 6071 series of solid-carbide end mills. This stub-length end mill has been specifically developed for the machining of steel and aerospace-grade alloys such as titanium and Inconel. ITC has evolved the geometry design and extensively trialled the concept in the marketplace.
Moving to aluminium machining, ITC has further extended its line with the arrival of the 3202 three-flute long series and the optimised-length 3203 series ball-nose tools. Suitable for profiling and reaching difficult-to-access surfaces, the 3202 and 3203 offer manufacturers a preferred option for cutting aluminium and aerospace-grade alloys. Complementing these additions is the newly-developed 4204 series of long-length, four-flute square-end milling cutters with chip-breaker geometry.
Supporting the ITC product lines at the event will be the latest introductions from Widia. Representing Widia in the UK, application experts from ITC will be on-hand to discuss tools on show, such as the newly-developed VSM890-12 face and shoulder-milling series. The VSM890-12 is hailed as one of the very few eight-edged, double-sided cutters with genuine 90° milling capability, and is able to perform operations such as face milling, shoulder milling, Z-axis plunging, contour plunging and 100% radial-engagement slotting on a complete range of materials. Widia’s VSM890 series is available with a 32 mm diameter Weldon end-mill configuration, while the shell-mill tool bodies are available in diameters from 40 to 250 mm, with a cartridge face mill providing a 315 mm diameter.
The VSM890 will be alongside the Widia 70NS Victory X-Feed series of high-feed end mills that have been extended to cater for the machining of stainless steel and heat-resistant alloys. This latest extension provides those machining challenging materials with all the benefits that the 70NS demonstrates on steel, cast iron and a host of other material types. The 70NS series delivers increased radial engagement when compared with ball-nosed end mills, and this geometry revision has been optimised for circular plunging, 3D machining, face milling and pocketing applications.
Complementing the 70NS and the VSM890 at Southern manufacturing will be the newly-devised Widia range of 4U50 and 4U80 shallow-pitch roughing cutters. Suitable for stainless steel and high-temperature alloys, these solid-carbide end mills demonstrate reliable, consistent performance at higher machining parameters when conducting prolonged machining cycles on challenging aerospace-grade materials, says the company.
Designated as roughing tools for the aerospace industry, the Widia 4U50 and 4U80 cutters are available with four or six cutting edges that feature harmonically designed flute geometry. A choice of short cut length (4U50 series) for higher rigidity or regular cut length (4U80 series) is offered, with both said to enhance cutting performance and stability when conducting heavy-duty roughing.
ITC will also have a range of Big Kaiser tool holding and clamping technology on Stand H250 at Southern Manufacturing.
