End Mills with Clamping Interface Boost Productivity and Precision, Reduce Scrap

Walter USA, LLC (Waukesha, WI) offers the Haimer Safe-Lock™ clamping system with specially modified Walter Prototyp solid carbide mills. The problem of pull-out or micro-creep is prevalent in high speed machining applications and when working with difficult to machine materials like Titanium and Inconel. Conventional chucks are not fully capable of preventing this effect, not even when using the highest clamping forces. That’s where the Safe-Lock clamping solution comes in.

With the aid of special spiral grooves ground into the tool shank, the Safe-Lock’s carrier elements, in addition to friction locking in the chuck, provide positive locking as well as high precision clamping. Also, Safe-Lock’s optional cooling channels, included with all Safe-Lock shrink fit chucks, bring coolant directly to the cutting edge, extending tool life by as much as 100 percent.

As a result of these factors, solid carbide end mills from Walter Prototyp with Safe-Lock allow users to benefit from maximum cutting parameters, and provide for the highest possible cost efficiencies that the tool and machine have to offer. This is true both for roughing as well as for finishing operations. Walter Prototyp end mills with Safe-Lock, available in 12 mm to 40 mm diameters are able to increase productivity, provide run out accuracy, boost tool life and ensure extremely high levels of precision while drastically reducing scrap — vital for expensive workpieces so often encountered in high speed, high performance machining.

Demonstrations of applications capabilities of a Walter Prototyp Milling Protomax ST solid carbide endmill.

Solid carbide end mills from Walter Prototyp with Safe-Lock grooves are available through the Walter Xpress Service. This service was created for a defined range of special tools, where the delivery times are a maximum of two weeks.

The company has also expanded its “Tough Guys” series of high-performance solid carbide endmills with the new Walter Prototyp Proto·max™_TG  (the TG stands for “Tough Guys”). The Proto·max _TG is a versatile performer that can be used on steel, stainless steel, cast iron and in many cases on super alloys. The endmill provides excellent chip removal and guarantees sufficient room for the chip removal for slot milling up to 0.9 x Dc. The rear cutting edge has a reinforced core, giving the tool a high degree of stability. The cutter is available with a reduced neck as an option, and is ideally suited to plunging or inclined plunging for deep cavities. In addition, it is also suitable for pocket, contour and shoulder milling. The Proto∙max_TG is available in 2 to 25 mm dia., with three, four or five cutting edges.

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A demonstration of the application capabilities of a Walter Prototyp Milling Protomax TG.

In addition to its performance-enhancing design features, Proto·max_TG boasts an advanced carbide substrate. This substrate provides for an extremely high level of toughness — important for counteracting vibration induced fractures to the cutting edge. An advanced pre-treatment process provides an optimum surface for the tool’s new titanium aluminum nitride coating. This new coating helps protect against wear thus increasing tool life. These three features – substrate, cutting edge treatment and coating – combine to dramatically increase Proto·max_TG cutting parameters by up to 100 percent.

The new Proto·max_TG joins three existing models in the Walter Prototyp Proto·max™ family of solid carbide end mills. These are the Proto·max™_ST for steel, Proto·max™_Ultra for hard materials and Proto·max™_Inox for stainless steel materials.

Walter also announced that Tiger·tec^® Silver, its  high performance aluminum oxide coating that has been boosting the productivity of its milling and turning inserts, is now available for its Xtra·tec^® Insert Drills as well. The addition of Tiger·tec Silver to the drills has been able to boost productivity, increase process reliability, and lower tooling costs.

A demonstration of applications using a Walter Tools Turning Tiger-tec Silver ISO K Generation.

The new coating combines high temperature wear resistance and superior toughness. This combination is desirable in any application but particularly in drilling. In drilling, the cutting edges must be able to withstand relatively high cutting speeds and forces at the outer edge, but these speeds and forces diminish as one approaches the center of the drill.

In order to cope successfully and economically with such disparate and therefore difficult machining conditions, a cutting tool material that couples high temperature wear resistance with excellent toughness is required.

Tiger·tec Silver’s heat resistant feature promotes higher productivity by allowing higher speeds, while its toughness promotes higher process reliability . . . both helping to lengthen tool life and reduce tooling costs.

The new coating is available with several insert materials. For example, the cutting materials WKP25S and WKP35S are suitable for all cast iron and steel materials. If extreme toughness at the drill center is required, as is often the case when machining ISO-P, ISO-M or ISO-S materials, Walter has a PVD coated center indexable insert made of the cutting tool material WXP40 as an alternative. This cutting material is designed for maximum toughness and guarantees optimum process reliability.

Walter USA offers an extensive line up of cutting tools for milling, drilling, turning, boring and specialized tooling for unique applications through its competence brands Walter Valenite, Walter Titex and Walter Prototyp. As well as multi-level service programs through its Walter Multiply brand. Headquartered in Waukesha, the company has a strong network of distributors and field engineers across North America that combine over 75 years of U.S.-based tooling production with long-standing traditions of quality and innovation.

Walter USA, LLC, N22 W23855 Ridgeview Pkwy West, Waukesha, WI 53188, 800-945-5554, www.walter-tools.com/us.