Sandvik Coromant is upgrading its range of turning inserts for machining ISO-P steels. The international tooling specialist has launched two new carbide grades that are designed for external and internal machining of low-alloyed and unalloyed steels.

The new inserts, called GC4415 and GC4425, are designed to deliver increased toughness, heat resistance and predictable wear.

The new inserts are considered ideal for manufacturers operating in mass and batch production set-ups machining low alloyed (P 2.1 to 2.6) and unalloyed (P 1.1 to 1.5) steels, respectively.

Grade GC4425 is shown to outperform competing inserts in a majority of steel turning applications. It features improved wear and heat resistance and toughness, which significantly expands the application range.

Both inserts can be used for finishing to roughing, in applications with continuous cuts and light interruptions.

The GC4415 is designed to complement GC4425 when enhanced performance and more heat-resistance is needed. In addition, the materials’ new post-treatment is found to boost performance in intermittent cutting operations, avoiding any sudden breakages and enabling both insert grades to outperform over a broad application range.

Johan Anderstedt, Sandvik Coromant global product manager (turning), said: “Generally speaking, every manufacturer wants to achieve the following goals: increased metal removal rates, more pieces per edge, reduced cycle times, minimised waste and optimised inventory use.

“For manufacturers with a batch production set-up, this also means having the flexibility to machine multiple steel materials with the same grade. Our new GC4415 and GC4425 grades can help you achieve this — even with tough and complex ISO-P materials.”

Enhanced wear resistance
Sandvik Coromant says that the GC4415 and GC4425 inserts show superior wear-resistance over competing inserts, which contributes towards extended tool life and predictable performance with every use. This also minimises material waste, both from the workpiece and the insert.

The inserts’ superior wear resistance is attributed to Sandvik Coromant’s second generation Inveio technology, an alumina coating layer. What makes Inveio unique can be seen at a microscopic level; its surface is characterised by a uni-directional crystal orientation.

Each crystal is lined up towards the cutting edge, creating a strong barrier that improves crater and flank wear resistance. Heat is also lead away from the cutting zone more quickly, which keeps the cutting edge in shape for longer — the result is a harder wearing tool.

For better sustainability, the carbide substrate of these new grades contains a high proportion of recycled carbide material, more than 50%. Making grades from recycled material saves virgin raw material, and requires less energy and fewer CO₂ emissions in production.

Lower production cost
Customers have been able to implement higher cutting speeds (vc) and multiplied feed rates (fn) with the new carbide inserts. In one case, a general engineering manufacturer subjected a 4140 pre-heat treated steel workpiece to multi-directional external roughing with the GC4425 insert.

Compared with using a competitor’s ISO-insert for the same process, the customer was able to achieve a 100% productivity increase, with a reduced cycle time of 50% plus a 30% cost reduction.

To help customers optimise their cutting speeds and feed rates, and identify the best insert or tool for their requirements, Sandvik Coromant has also developed its online CoroPlus Tool Guide.

Mr Anderstedt said: “GC4425 and GC4415 give prolonged tool-life in some of the most challenging cutting conditions.

“Combined with Sandvik Coromant’s close partnership and the Toolguide, our customers can achieve higher productivity, a lower cost-per-part and more profitable production.”