High Performance Cutting: maximum chips with minimum energy
Until now the main focus in machining production has been on high cutting performance, short machining times and process reliability. As a result of rising costs, however, increasing importance is being attached to energy efficiency, a factor that is decisively influenced by the cutting strategy used. High Performance Cutting (HPC) has become an established technique especially for machining jobs that require very high removal rates – for example, in roughing applications in tool and mould making. New developments in indexable insert geometries are now also enabling LMT Fette to combine high cutting performance with low energy consumption.
In contrast to high-speed cutting (HSC), which particularly excels in finishing with outstanding surface quality, high-performance cutting (HPC) primarily focuses on material removal rate.
HPC machining strategy: full performance at half power
However, what makes high-performance cutting different is not only its high removal rates, but above all its energy efficiency. Thus, for example, users can achieve the same removal rate as they would with round inserts while almost halving the driving force used. In other words, higher productivity does not necessarily involve new machines, but can also be achieved with the aid of more powerful tools, as one practical example proves.
- Comparing the life time of XCNT...EN and XCNT...SN
Sixfold increase in service life with tempered steel
LMT Fette has developed the new XCNT...EN insert for stainless steels and tempered steels of normal strength as well as long-chipping materials and titanium alloys.
The special feature of this insert is the synclinal design of the cutting face that was combined with a honing of the cutting edge on the µ scale. The cutting geometry therefore has a relatively sharp form which differentiates it from LMT’s XCNT...SN high-speed cutting insert, which has a wide, negative protection chamfer and is designed for use in powerful machines.
Both these inserts were compared in a practical setting. The tool used was a MultiEdge 4Feed high-speed cutter with 42 mm diameter and 4 inserts, size 09. The cutting speed was 200 m/min and the feed rate 6,070 mm/min. Cutting depth and width were 1 and 25 mm respectively.
When used to machine a matrix of tempered steel the new insert achieved a sixfold increase in service life compared to a conventional insert. The user benefits not only from higher performance, but also from lower tool costs as the new insert is no more expensive than the older model.
More information about the LMT range of tools for high-performance cutting is available from Jana Siouzou, Jsiouzou@lmt-tools.com