Light alloy parts benefit from F20 inserts

The F20 inserts from WNT are using the latest in sintering technology to both improve metalcutting performance and reduce costs in applications involving aluminium and other light alloys. Inserts used to machine these materials require an extremely sharp cutting edge. To achieve this edge manufacturers have had to resort to a time consuming, hence expensive, secondary grinding operation after the insert has been sintered. The development of a new grade (CWK 4625) and sintering process has allowed WNT to provide an insert that can be sintered directly to its finished form, eliminating any need for grinding. In addition, a recently developed surface treatment has also done away with the need for the top rake of the insert to be polished, a process that was required to avoid the possibility of swarf ‘sticking’ to the insert. By removing these two, time-consuming, processes WNT is, for the first time, able to apply mass production techniques to the manufacture of inserts for aluminium. “By removing the grinding and polishing operations from the manufacturing process,” says Adrian Fitts, WNT (UK) business development manager, “manufacturing time is reduced and greater consistency of the finished insert is possible. In turn this provides greater consistency in use and, a significant cost reduction is achieved, which is reflected in the price paid by the end-user.” The inserts have been designed to fit WNT’s existing 2011 range of cutter bodies and the combination of new grade (CWK 4625), surface treatment, and the excellent geometry provided by the 2011 cutters is providing dramatically increased performance when machining aluminium. Typically, speeds and feeds are up to 3500 m/min and between 0.1 and 0.25 mm/rev respectively at depths of cut up to 10 mm. And, with an emphasis on the machining of aerospace components WNT is offering the F20 inserts in standard corner radii of 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, 2.0 mm and 2.5 mm as standard.