Tewkesbury-based Quickgrind Ltd (www.quickgrind.com) has launched its Phantom series of solid-carbide end mills.

These four-flute cutters have been designed to offer machine shops the opportunity to implement high-feed metal-cutting strategies that will boost metal-removal rates and shorten cycle times.

If required, a through-coolant version — called Phantom Ice — accommodates greater depth-of-cut requirements.

Phantom end mills, which have the added advantage of being suitable for remanufacture, feature a carbide substrate designed to withstand high cutting forces, matched with coating technology and edge geometry that facilitate optimised chip flow and maximised wear-resistance.

Typical applications include rough-machining operations such as slotting, pocket milling and contouring, as well as plunging and helical ramping.

Machine shops can also use Phantom end mills for pocketing with high length-to-diameter ratios; and with their neck-relieved shanks, the cutters are suitable for extended-reach applications in deep cavities (they provide an alternative to using standard small-diameter long- and extra-long-series mills that are prone to vibration and chatter).

Phantom cutters can be used on a variety of materials, including stainless steels, Inconel, titanium, tool steel, cast iron and hardened steel.

Both the Phantom and Phantom Ice end mills are available in diameters of 10, 12, 14, 16, 20 and 25mm; they also come in various overall lengths, as well as bespoke versions to suit individual applications.

With regard to performance, Quickgrind says that 12mm-diameter Phantom end mills can cut at speeds up to 200m/min with a 0.7mm depth of cut and a feed per tooth up to 0.6mm when machining materials with hardness values up to 30HRc (such as carbon steels and cast iron).

Materials up to 50HRc (like tool steels and titanium) can be processed at cutting speeds up to 180m/min and a 0.4mm feed per tooth.

Using the Phantom Ice cutter with through-coolant capability means that the depth of cut can typically be increased to 0.9mm, depending on the application.