The Hoffmann Group (www.hoffmann-group.com) has extended its Garant Master range to include high-performance solid-carbide milling cutters for machining titanium.

Known as Titan, these tools are designed to offer good process reliability and up to 50% longer working life; they include types for roughing, finishing, torus milling, end torus milling and ball-nosed slot drilling.

The low thermal conductivity of titanium results in almost 75% of the process heat being transferred to the cutting tool, resulting in premature tool wear — especially at high metal removal rates.

During the development of the Garant Master Titan range, particular attention was paid to process reliability and tool life.

As a result, the cutting edges of the milling cutters are honed, and the tools use a new substrate that has a high load capacity and is highly resistant to wear (Hoffman says that even when the coating is entirely worn off, the tools still remain productive).

Moreover, the new Garant Master Titan solid-carbide HPC finishing cutters can be used without a coating, allowing them to be used for applications where the material being machined must not be contaminated by particles of coating.

In order to further increase process reliability and avoid the formation of built-up edges, Titan cutters feature a large core diameter, polished chip flutes and a new cutting-edge geometry.

Roughing end mills have four or five cutting edges, while finishing cutters have seven cutting edges.