Horn releases Series 231 dovetail grooving system
A newly developed grooving system (Series 231) developed specifically for machining radial, axial and internal dovetail grooves is now available from Horn Cutting Tools. The tooling was developed to meet the needs of oil and gas equipment manufacturers but has already attracted interest from other sectors where the high integrity O-ring sealing is valued.
In trials comparing the system with alternative products, it offered up to five times the tool life, halved the cycle time and enhanced accuracy and repeatability, says Horn.
The solution requires three machining steps, beginning with a standard plunge grooving operation, followed by operations using left- and right-handed 'half dovetail' profile cutting inserts.
An entry groove range between 1.4 and 8.5 mm width (in six steps) covers the most common sizes, while for axial grooving applications a minimum outer groove diameter of between 25 and 40 mm applies.
