Horn has expanded the capabilities of its S224 and S229 grooving systems with the introduction of a new carbide grade, IG96, designed specifically for machining general and stainless steels. The advanced carbide grade features a coating approximately 9µm thick and is available across L, KF, HR, and KR insert geometries.
By applying the coating in-house, Horn has boosted the material's high-temperature strength, ensuring stable and reliable machining even under demanding operational conditions. Users can achieve cost-effective production across a broad spectrum of steel materials, supported by short lead times made possible by Horn's HiPIMS PVD (physical vapour deposition) coating technology.
Field tests demonstrate the potential of the IG96 carbide grade. When machining C55 steel, an S229.0600.L4 insert achieved a tool life of 500 components, nearly doubling the service life of 250 to 280 components delivered by the previously-used version under identical cutting conditions.
Service life was also significantly increased when machining 42CrMo steel. A custom insert produced 534 components, whereas comparable tools achieved only 300 components. Due to this higher wear resistance, the IG96 carbide grade extends tool life, decreases the frequency of tool changes and ultimately supports productive and reliable performance across numerous groove turning applications.