Powerful milling — with built-in sustainability ...

The new ProACT-Mill UNI and UNImax performance solid carbide milling cutters are made from CT-GS20Y – Ceratizit's most sustainable carbide grade to date. Thanks to the cutters’ outstanding performance, users can increase their productivity while saving raw material

A milling cutter which is extremely powerful, universally applicable and at the same time manufactured in a resource-efficient manner: sounds like a dream? With the ProACT-Mill UNI and ProACT-Mill UNImax from Ceratizit, a tool series is now available that easily meets every requirement. It is all thanks to the latest geometry and coating technologies combined with carbide grade CT-GS20Y, which offers unbeatable sustainability.

Machining a wide variety of materials means constantly adapting to new challenges. The solution, available in the UK from Sheffield-based Ceratizit UK & Ireland, takes the form of universal milling cutters that can cope with steels, stainless steels and cast materials in equal measure. Alongside the targeted process efficiency, the aspect of sustainability is increasingly growing in importance. Ceratizit shows how the two objectives can be reconciled — with the ProACT-Mill universal solid carbide milling cutter series. The milling cutters are manufactured from a particularly sustainable carbide, which Ceratizit calls upGRADE.

The upGRADE CT-GS20Y grade is the ideal choice for a wide range of applications. Michael Wucher, global technical product manager at Ceratizit, explains: “What is special about it is the significantly smaller carbon footprint generated during production, compared to carbides from conventional production. We achieve this by using 99% reprocessed cutting tools as a raw material.”

Customers enjoy both economic and ecological advantages, thanks to a specific product carbon footprint (PCF). The test results of the new series underline its potential: ProACT-Mill milling cutters deliver up to 30% higher performance compared to other universal tools. The newly developed coating, which brings with it additional performance and tool life reserves, further contributes to this.”

Pictured right: 99% reprocessed raw material makes CT-GS20Y the most sustainable carbide grade currently available from Ceratizit

Mr Wucher continued: “With the ProACT-Mill Series, we have developed our most powerful tool for universal milling, packed with everything that modern milling cutters need — including CT-GS20Y, our most sustainable carbide grade to date.”

The variable helix pitch ensures extremely quiet running and optimum chip removal. The ProACT-Mill UNI has an HB shank for perfect force transmission, while the reinforced tool core ensures even force distribution throughout the milling process.

To guarantee unbeatable cutting edge stability, the milling cutter has been given a radial clearance face. The face finishing chamfer promises top surface quality with base machining, while cutting edges with an irregular pitch specifically suppress vibrations. Ramping milling and helical milling are possible up to an angle of 30deg. Thanks to the impressive milling acoustics of the ProACT-Mill UNI (even with high infeed values and full-face milling), the machine room is never too noisy.

The ProACT-Mill UNI with a cutting edge length of 3xDC is particularly suitable for series production and trochoidal machining. Innovative chip breakers in a radial design deliver the longest possible tool life and break the chips to a length of 1xD; these are then evenly and consistently removed due to the special shape of the chip space. Thanks to the minimal conical tool core, the five-edge cutter runs very quietly even with a high lateral width of cut.

When it comes to maximum material removal rates, the ProACT-Mill UNImax is the ideal solution. A special geometry design has been selected for this purpose — and is perfectly suited for depths of cut of up to 2xDC. The tool is available with HA and HB shanks for unbeatable force transmission and balance qualities. With the variable tool core, optimum force distribution was the key focus.

All tools in the series bear a laser-applied Data Matrix Code (DMC), which can be used to call up the data of the ‘digital twin’. Mr Wucher revealed: “This DMC contains all the information needed — once scanned, the tool can be correctly identified and its relevant technical data displayed. The customer can also see whether the tool is new or reconditioned, and how often it has already been sent to us for regrinding; and there is of course also a link to the online shop to make reordering quick and easy. We will be expanding the DMC functions in the future to deliver an even more comprehensive service.”