Sandvik Coromant Launches New End Mills for Composites
Making its exhibition debut at JEC Europe 2014 (Paris, 11-13 March), CoroMill® Plura range of brazed PCD end mills is likely to be of great interest to any manufacturers performing edging, surface milling, slotting or cutting operations on CFRP components.
Smart Hub Spotlight
Showcasing on the Sandvik Coromant Smart Hub Pavilion 7.3 Q42, this innovative new tool delivers long-lasting and predictable wear patterns – important when machining CFRP parts in order to reduce downtime and avoid any rework or scrap. The basis for the new end mills is a high performance PCD grade optimized for CFRP. The grade has been developed by Sandvik Coromant to deliver maximum possible tool life, however, the end mills also offer the potential to be reconditioned.
For optimum machining results, Sandvik Coromant advises that the end of the cutter remains 1 mm beneath the composite material, while conventional (up) milling is preferable as it delivers less process vibration. In terms of maximum material thickness, 2 mm less than the length of the PCD section of the tool tip is recommended. A typical 2D surface machining application will allow cutting speeds of circa 200-400 m/min, in tandem with 0.03-0.06 mm/rev feed rates for roughing, and 0.02-0.04 mm/rev for finishing. Available in a diameter range of 6-16 mm, the cutters also provide internal coolant and 5° ramping capability.
Innovation Aplenty
Aside from this groundbreaking new product, visitors to the Sandvik Coromant Smart Hub will find a host of additional innovations. These will include the CoroMill Plura ISO N Tailor Made end mills for CFRP parts with difficult-to-reach features.
For visitors interested in a structured overview of the company’s product offer, a technical sales presentation will be given by a Sandvik Coromant expert in composites machining on Tuesday March 11th at 11:00 CET. There will also be information available on the Smart Hub about the company’s Composite Application Center, which is located in Orléans approximately 120 km south of Paris.
