Drill for hard-to-machine Ni-based alloys offers doubled output

Able to double the number of workpieces produced – invariably producing holes of twice the diameter – the Titex Alpha Ni drill from Walter-Titex-Prototyp has been developed for the efficient machining of hard-to-machine resistant Ni-based alloys such as Inconel 718. Capable of drilling up to five times diameter, and applied at cutting speeds of up to 50-70 m/min (on titanium alloys), the carbide drills are supplied uncoated for Ni-based alloys and with the Titex Tinal Futura Top coating on request for Co- and Fe-based alloys. The drill is available in diameters from 3 mm to 12 mm, as standard, and specials from 3 mm to 16 mm can also be supplied. In use producing a series of holes in a gas turbine combustion chamber, the drill effectively created 50 per cent savings in the production of 338 holes of varying diameters from 3.5 mm to 11.9 mm compared to a competitor tool. Applied at a higher cutting speed – 25 m/min as opposed to 11/15/18 m/min – and higher feed rates varying from 91 mm/min to 114 mm/min, the Titex Alpha Ni drill was able to produce 50 workpieces per tool compared to 25.