New face milling cutters for more sustainability in aluminium machining
Optimum surface finish for every quantity
When it comes to weight savings, aluminium is often the workpiece material of choice. Accordingly, in the automotive sector, for instance, many functional components are made from aluminium, such as cylinder heads, transmission housing, brakes, wheel carriers or electric motor housings. However, aluminium is also a sought-after workpiece material in many other sectors.
With an extensive range of tools for reaming, drilling and milling and many years of process experience, MAPAL places a huge focus on aluminium machining. In milling, the PCD face milling cutters from the Power, Eco and FaceMill series are used for precise high-performance machining with high removal rates and special accuracy requirements in series production. With two new products, MAPAL is addressing additional customer requirements: The Face- Mill-Diamond-ES is a versatile all-rounder that ensures high economic efficiency and lasting process reliability in demanding production conditions with smaller quantities and changing part types. The indexable insert milling cutters from the new NeoMill-T-Finish series ensure a dramatic increase in economic efficiency as well as efficiency in finishing in series production.
FACEMILL-DIAMOND-ES – THE VERSATILE PCD FACE MILLING CUTTER IS IDEAL FOR SMALL QUANTITIES
The new FaceMill-Diamond-ES is a versatile addition to the PCD face milling cutters in MAPAL’s FaceMill-Diamond family. While the existing FaceMill-Diamond face milling cutters are established in the high-performance bracket in series production, the FaceMill-Diamond-ES now offers an entry-level version which is economically efficient to procure even for negligibly small quantities and varying parts and meets high standards in terms of surface finish.
The milling cutters have fewer cutting edges than the established FaceMill-Diamond tools, making them a more cost-effective and an “Economical Solution”. With a diameter of 50 mm, for instance, the FaceMill-Diamond-ES has five cutting edges, while the classic FaceMill-Diamond has twelve. Another difference is the area of application: The FaceMill-Diamond-ES is suitable for shoulder milling, trimming and machining thin-walled parts, as well as face milling. The new milling cutter is available in the diameter range of 32 to 80 mm. Dimensions have not changed in comparison to existing FaceMill-Diamond models. Accordingly, it can be used directly in existing production, if, for example, the larger chip space of the new tools should be used. Cutting depths of up to 10 mm are easily possible.
All milling cutters in the FaceMill-Diamond-ES series can be reground and re-equipped. They are exclusively available as milling cutters for arbor mounting.
NEOMILL-T-FINISH – FINISHING ALUMINIUM WITH INDEXABLE INSERTS
With the NeoMill-T-Finish, MAPAL presents a milling cutter with indexable inserts for face milling aluminium at high quantities for the first time. The finishing milling cutter with replaceable inserts functions according to the “plug and play” principle: Customers change the inserts on site without having to adjust them afterwards. This means that fewer tool bodies need to be kept on hand as a result.
With the new system, customers can also use other cutting materials in addition to the PCDtipped inserts, depending on application and workpiece material, such as uncoated carbide or carbide with CVD diamond or PVD coating. This means the optimum cutting material can be used for aluminium workpiece materials with different silicon content and casting processes (sand casting, pressure die casting and permanent mould casting). The indexable inserts each have up to four usable cutting edges. An optimum version is available for every customer and every requirement, offering maximum economic efficiency and process reliability.
A patent-pending insert arrangement system is what makes the new milling cutter unique. The main inserts, which perform stock removal of up to 2.5 mm, are attached to the circumference. A wide finishing insert arranged axially is responsible for the ability to reach surface roughness levels of Rz = 1.5 μm. The innovative system enables homogeneous wear and tear on the cutting edges: Thanks to the special arrangement of main inserts and wide finishing inserts, all main inserts have the same feed per tooth, smooth running for good surface quality and no burr formation. The resulting longer tool life is reflected in a lower cost per part with a high level of process reliability.
Each tool is adapted specifically to the customer’s requirements. Maximum economic efficiency and productivity are the top priority. The tool body is usually made from steel. If weight restrictions are in place, MAPAL manufactures the tool body in aluminium or with a weight reduction bore. The NeoMill-T-Finish can be configured in the diameter range from 50 to 315 mm and can be ordered as a monolithic unit or an adaptive unit for milling holders with arbor. Cutting speeds of up to 6,000 m/min and feed rates of 2.5 mm per revolution are possible in use.
Dear business partners
and readers,
in light of the global economic and political developments and the challenges that come with them, we are working hard on future developments. Our traditional main market, the automotive industry, remains a key pillar of our market strategy. With the addition of the future field of electric mobility, MAPAL solutions are found in all areas of mobility. The market segments of aerospace, fluid power technology and the die & mould sector are also in focus. MAPAL has gained a strong foothold in fluid power technology with intelligent solutions. The market strategy for the die & mould sector has now been rolled out worldwide. The necessary stock availability of tools is in place and structures are set up accordingly. We’re looking forward to the future with great optimism in this area. Across all segments, the machining of titanium and aluminium also plays an important role in the market and product portfolio.
Our development and sales strategy, which is decidedly aimed towards the focus markets, already manifested itself in the 2021 financial year, and we were able to increase Group sales by 15 percent to 524 million euros. For the current year 2022, ongoing developments make it very difficult to make a reliable forecast. However, the fact that our future developments are beginning to bear fruit is cause for optimism.
We invest in several sites worldwide. With the completion of the construction work at the Altenstadt site, we have increased the production space at the Centre of Competence for Solid Carbide Tools by 5,000 square metres, significantly improving the company’s ability to react in the competitive market. We are also making extensive investments in Poland. A brand-new production and administration building has been constructed in India, meeting the latest ecological standards.
We will be exhibiting our new developments and solutions for focus topics at the AMB in Stuttgart. We look forward to meeting you there, to presenting our solutions for your machining tasks in detail and to getting the chance to speak to you.
Have a good read!
Yours,
Dr. Jochen Kress
