Birmingham-based Guhring Ltd, has extended the benefits offered by its Diver series of end mills to the micro-machining sector with the new RF100 Micro Diver end mills, which can be used for a wide range of applications and materials.

Providing plunging and milling in a single tool, the new RF100 Micro Diver is available in two variants, the 6808 and 6809; they feature a symmetrical drilling face for stability when ramping and drilling, a new transition geometry to improve rigidity and an innovative flute form that ‘further enhances rigidity and eliminates vibration’.

The RF100 Micro Diver 6808 series is a three-flute solid-carbide end mill suitable for cutting materials up to 48HRC at depths up to 2.5xD.

With a 40deg helix angle to evacuate chips from the work area when undertaking high-speed machining, 6808-series cutters are available with a H5 4 or 6mm shank diameter and H8 cutting diameters from 0.79 to 3.175mm (with a multitude of dimensional increments available).

This series has overall lengths from 38.1 to 50.8mm with cutting lengths from 1.97 to 7.93mm and a choice of four or six ‘Guhrojet’ peripheral through-coolant channels available.

Moreover, to maximise tool life, the end mills incorporate a 45deg corner chamfer (from 0.016mm to 0.64mm depending upon the tool diameter) to prevent edge chipping when machining ‘challenging’ materials.

RF100 Micro Diver 6809-series cutters are for the machining of pockets and slots up to 5xD deep; and like the shorter variant, these cutters are available with a choice of four or six Guhrojet coolant channels, a H5 4 or 6mm shank diameter and a 45deg corner chamfer to prevent edge chipping.

The 6809 cutters, which offers overall tool lengths from 45 to 57.15mm with cutting lengths from 5.00 to 15.87mm, have been designed to offer high levels of rigidity and stability for high-speed slotting, ramping, drilling and plunging. They feature an ultra-fine carbide composition.

Both series of end mills feature Guhring’s new HIPIMS Durox coating, which enables the cutters to achieve very high levels of surface finish with optimal chip removal rates on a wide range of materials, including alloyed steels, stainless steels, cast irons, aluminiums and copper alloys, as well as heat-resistant alloys and hardened steels.