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Inserts designed for parting and grooving

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Nov 14, 2006

Among the latest cutting tool introductions are ranges of positive and negative geometries, inserts designed for parting and grooving and for specialist operations such as bar peeling.

Launched early in 2006, Sandvik Coromant's programme of introducing its new insert generation has reached a first landmark with the completion of the GC4225 insert programme.

Furthermore, UK manufacturers are now reaping the benefits of a payback in savings in metal cutting as a consequence of applying the latest grades.

GC4225 is one of Coromant's biggest selling grades impacting on all areas of steel machining, an area which represents a significant proportion of Sandvik Coromant's worldwide turnover in inserts.

The range now features more than 800 different items with the 360 variants introduced this autumn completing the extensive programme.

Among the latest introductions are ranges of positive and negative geometries, inserts designed for parting and grooving and for specialist operations such as bar peeling.

"GC4225 now represents the world's largest range of ex-stock, turning products with next day delivery," claimed Paul Williams, Sandvik Coromant's product manager, Turning Products.

"The bulk of the upgrade programme for steel machining grades is now largely completed," he added.

Running in parallel with the flagship GC4225 new insert generation introductions have been other elements of the wider programme, notably the development of cast iron milling grades and the GC4240 and GC1030 steel milling grades, the latter with a PVD coating.

All follow the overall objective of helping manufacturers maintain competitiveness and reduce costs.

Improvements across the cast iron milling area come into focus with the introduction of GC1020 and GC3220.

The milling grade GC4240 has been developed to withstand tough, demanding operations where high metal removal is important and is the number one choice for use with the CoroMill 390 cutters.

The GC1030 programme is especially suited for steel machining in unstable conditions, for example when machining long overhangs and where vibration is a problem.

GC1030 features a unique PVD coating to provide optimum wear resistance and is also the first choice where more intricate machining operations are necessary coupled with precision and absolute accuracy.

The accelerated programme of grade introductions is already impacting on Sandvik Coromant's challenge at MACH 2006 where it asked customers old and new to benefit from GBP 30 million of cost savings it estimated are available to the UK metal cutting industry by the simple application of the best combination of cutting tools, inserts and machining processes.

"The thrust of the insert upgrade programme is improved productivity by reducing our customer's costs per part," Williams added.

"Sandvik Coromant has always maintained a major focus on productivity but at MACH we fine tuned our customer focus by inviting visitors to talk pounds and pence as well as feeds and speeds." He said: "Using data recorded and accepted in our Customer Value Files (CVF), in six months Coromant has delivered cost savings of around GBP 350,000 to a carefully selected number of major customers.

We now propose to extend the CVF process across a broader cross section where the new insert grade introductions are undoubtedly played a role in improved productivity and will continue to do so," he added.