Tamworth-based Industrial Tooling Corporation Ltd (
www.itc-ltd.co.uk) has launched the new VSM17 line of milling tools from Widia in the UK market.
Designed to boost productivity when milling challenging materials, these 90deg shoulder-milling tools offer aggressive ramping angles (up to 8.8deg) and a ‘guided internal coolant supply’ — features that combine to help improve material removal rates and chip clearance.
The VSM17 steel tool bodies are available with screw-on, Weldon and cylindrical end mills from 25 to 40mm in diameter (with regular and long shanks), shell mills from 40 to 160mm in diameter, and the M4000 cartridge milling system in diameters from 125 to 315mm.
The various tool bodies incorporate an ‘optimised chip gash’ that is designed to maximise stability, chip removal and cutting efficiency.
This latest addition to the Widia 90deg VSM series is suitable for applications ranging from light precision machining to medium roughing.
Moreover, the tool’s two-edged 16mm inserts incorporate an embedded wiper facet for high surface finishes, an additional margin on the clearance face that strengthens the cutting edge and a positive rake design that generates a soft cutting action.
The inserts are offered in a range of grades for machining cast iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminium and other materials.
For the machining of aerospace-grade materials, Widia has just added its WS40PM grade to the VSM17 line.
This multi-layered PVD-coated (AlTiN-TiN) grade for wet and dry machining is said to offer improved resistance to chemical and abrasive wear, while minimising thermal cracking.
Each insert grade is offered with the option of the ALP, ML, MM and MH geometries.
ALP is a peripheral ground geometry for the rough- to finish-machining of aluminium alloys, whereas ML is designated for light- to finish-machining of stainless steel and titanium.
MM and MH are general and heavy-duty cutting grades for a multitude of material types.