Product category:
Milling cutters
News Release from: ITC Tooling | Subject: 2031 and 2041 Cyber Series of two flute end mills
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 July 2007
Two flute end mills raise machining
speeds
The ITC 2031 and 2041 Cyber Series of two flute end mills have improved productivity and increased machining speeds and feeds and improved surface finishes isaid a pattern and tool maker.
Specialist pattern and tool making manufacturers for the vacuum and pressure forming industry, Pattern Forme, produces tooling from aluminium, hardened steels, polymers and resin based materials The Taunton, UK-based company had recently invested in software systems and the latest machining capabilities
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 6 Feb 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The invstment enabled Pattern Forme to fully integrate the design and manufacturing processes from initial concept through to final machining.
A new problem arose, because the software systems generated more efficient toolpaths and so there was a need to increase cutter performance.
A visit to the UK's MACH 2006 exhibition introduced Pattern Forme to ITC, a tooling company in Tamworth, UK "We obtained the ITC product literature at the MACH 2006 exhibition and ITC has supplied us with cutters ever since.
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We manufacture a considerable amount of aluminium tooling and the ITC cutters have done exceptionally well here," commented senior programmer Kevin Richardson.
"For our aluminium machining we introduced the ITC 2031 and 2041 Cyber Series of two flute end mills and these delivered immediate results," continued Richardson.
The impressive results particularly when high speed machining is credit to the radical flute geometry that enhances swarf clearance whilst exceptional cutter rigidity allows for high metal removal rates.
Impressive removal rates with the 2031 Series are permitted by the short length of cut and reduced neck that guarantee rigidity under difficult machining conditions.
As Richardson said: "The deep cavities are more problematic and here the 2082 Series has really come into its own.
The reduced shank diameter enables us to use the ITC 2082 Series on shallow and deep pockets alike.
It has really improved our surface finishes and eliminated many of our final polishing operations on the tools." The company has extended the use of ITC tools throughout its machine shop and Pattern Forme now employs engraving tools and more recently bespoke specials for applications that needed special tooling with a quick turnaround.
"The ITC tools have improved our productivity and we have increased our speeds, feeds and improved surface finishes in the process.
The productivity gains are not the whole picture; the improved surface finishes have reduced secondary operations.
Besides this, the improved tool life of the ITC cutters has reduced tool changeovers and considerably reduced our tooling costs.
The ITC tools have extended our tool life on many jobs and this has been a breath of fresh air to Pattern Forme.
Another advantage we have found with using ITC is the company's ability to rapidly turnaround our requests for special tools specific to Pattern Forme as well as off-the-shelf products.
I have little doubt that our relationship with ITC will continue for some time," concluded Richardson.
Trading for over 20 years, 40 employee Pattern Forme has developed techniques to manufacture complex mould work in conjunction with the ITC 2082 and 2022 Series of two flute ball nosed end mills.
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