METALEX 2013: Sutton Tools demos aluminium machining

Sutton Tools is demonstrating its new solutions for machining aluminium.

Jeff Boyd, General Manager of Sutton Tool, said, "Firstly we have the 3 flute variable helix harmony Al End-mill, with optimised geometry to maximise the tool life and minimise the cycle time, offering the best material removal rate without jeopardising the surface finish. The new 3 flute harmony Al is coated with a Chromium Nitride coating, minimising the material sticking to the tool in applications with less than ideal lubrication or near dry set-ups. The unique variable helix geometry with 3 flutes offers increased feed rates over the more common 2 flute variety, due to the extra cutting edge & maintaining the existing chip loads.

"Secondly, Producing holes in aluminium can be relatively easy particularly with the right tool selection which is ok with large volume production of holes as the ideal drill can be justified, however, when high precision holes are required in small batch quantities of aluminium, the common low cost drill doesn't really perform leading to poor hole accuracy, chip flow issues, etc. This is where the Black magic drill comes into to its own. This drill is produced from HSSCo, with very unique ultra sharp geometry initially designed for Ni-Cr type steels, however, this geometry is also ideal for soft-gummy type materials such as aluminium due to its clean cutting action, enabling high quality and accurate holes to be produced. With h6 Endmill type-common shank diameters it provides a higher degree of accuracy with regard to concentricity."

"The part of our demonstration today is tapping, and as usual the threading of a component is often the last machining operation, and after all the value adding is done to the component it is really important to have the right tap. But the question is for most, 'do I really need various types of taps for various types of material?', we'll not anymore! This year we launch the 'Black Magic' range of machine taps, produced from the finest tapping grade of HSSE-PM and coated with a truly multi-purpose PVD coating, 'Hardlube', Sutton Tools black magic range is a one-tap solution for all types of materials, such as steels, stainless steels, cast irons, and of course the non-ferrous material varieties such as aluminiums. So come by and see these tools live in action at Hall 102, booth J14!"