St Helens-based Rainford Precision Machines Ltd (www.rainfordprecision.com) now includes Union Tool’s UDCBF and UDCLBF tools in the UDC range of ball-nosed end mills that it offers for ‘processing’ tungsten carbides, ceramics,
zirconium, silicon carbide and nitride materials up to a hardness of 80HRc.

These tools have been developed for firms in the aerospace, automotive and mould-and-die sectors that are currently processing these materials using grinding, EDM wire erosion and solid-sink EDM.

Moreover, the diamond-coated UDCBF and UDLCBF tools can be used for machining glass-filled plastics, cemented carbides and hard/brittle materials.

That said, they need machines with a high-speed capability, spindle speeds of 20,000-30,000rev/ min and feed rates in the region of 750mm/min.

UDCBF tools are available in diameters from 0.6 to 2mm, with cut lengths from 0.42 to 1.4mm and an overall tool length of 50mm. Moreover, with a 4mm shank diameter and a 16deg taper angle, these cutters have been designed to optimise rigidity while offering the reach required for difficult machining requirements.

For longer-reach applications, UDCLBF cutters offer effective cutting lengths of 1-20mm and radii from 0.3 to 1mm.