A sales co-operation between Horn and Boehlerit — two independent manufacturers of cutting tools, located in Germany and Austria respectively — has resulted in the companies selling each other’s products.

As part of the agreement, Ringwood-based Horn Cutting Tools Ltd (www.phorn.co.uk) will sell Boehlerit-branded ISO turning and milling tools with immediate effect. Similar agreements have been reached in Germany, France, the USA and China.

New ‘chip channel’ turning geometries introduced by Boehlerit are said to play a key role in improving cost-effective machining.

The manufacturer used a high-speed camera to carry out chip-breaking analysis for each turning application, so that the best chip-flow characteristics could be developed.

According to Boehlerit, this has resulted in optimum turning geometries for machining steel, as well as solutions to the problems posed by special steel grades and super-alloys.

Here, a new ‘harder gradient’ carbide ensures machining reliability, while a more wear-resistant MT-CVD carbide coating accommodates higher cutting speeds.

This is primarily achieved by increasing the thickness of the patented Nanolock TiCN layer that bonds with the harder Alpha-Al2O3 (HV2700), which has better insulating properties and increases service life by 60%, says the company.

Boehlerit says its new LCM20T turning grade for indexable inserts allows cutting speeds of more than 200m/min to be achieved when turning stainless steels.

The heat-resistant carbide exhibits high resistance to plastic deformation, as does the BCS20T grade for machining titanium. Peripherally ground CNGG 120408-BCU inserts, which are available in the Steeltec grades LCP15T and LCP25T, offer high machining reliability for a range of steels, as does the Supertec LC415Z grade, which is optimised for machining super-alloys and stainless steels.

The range of milling tools from Boehlerit is based on eight different tool programmes. These include a pair of multi-functional tool systems that support two different machining operations with one main body, thereby cutting body-related and storage costs.

Additionally, the range encompasses everything from economical high-feed tools through to face-milling cutters with indexable inserts featuring 16 cutting edges.

In total, there are 12 new milling grades for face milling and corner milling. A particular highlight is the patented TERAspeed 2.0 AlTiN coating layer. The high aluminium content of this layer and its nano-structure have made it possible to combine conflicting properties, such as high toughness, extreme layer thickness and wear resistance.

Also designed for milling is Boehlerit’s thick PVD AlTiN Goldlox top coating, which is said to offer high wear resistance at elevated temperatures and improved tool life when machining various types of steel.