Milling made compact and cost-efficient

Seco’s latest addition to this milling tool range includes an M-geometry, reduced diameter shanks and one more shell end mill.
Seco’s Square 6-04 range of cutters has brought the six-edge productivity of the bigger Square 6-08 down to the 20-millimetre (0.75 inch)-diameter range.
“In this type of milling, an important diameter range for cutters is between 20 and 25 mm (0.75–1.0"),” says Tapio Alatalo, product manager at Seco. “Square 6-04 is a complement to its larger sibling and to cutters with one-sided inserts.”
Square 6-04 is available in diameter ranges from 20 to 63 mm (0.75–2.5"). The cutters have between two and 10 pocket seats equipped with indexable triangular inserts with three edges on each side, a total of six per insert. The maximum cutting depth is four millimetres in both axial and radial directions.
“It offers great productivity, and the cost-efficiency of six-edge inserts is also an advantage,” says Alatalo.
With six cutting edges per insert the cost per edge is reduced compared to alternatives with fewer edges. And since each diameter of cutter is available in two pitch versions – coarse and close – the material removal rate can be balanced against stability for optimum performance in different applications. Square 6-04 is suitable for a number of methods including face, slot, side and plunge milling, both in roughing and finishing operations.
A precision component specialist in France is one of the first companies to put Square 6-04 to the test. The application was ninety-degree side milling of a rotor shaft in regular carbon steel. Using Square 6-04, the number of manufactured parts per tool setup increased by 400 % compared with an alternative tool with two-edge inserts. Square 6-04’s inserts come with M-geometry in seven different grades with a focus on steel and cast iron, and include options for difficult-to-machine materials. The latest addition is a light cutting M-geometry for stickier substances, such as soft steel and stainless steel. There are two corner radii – 0.4 and 0.8 mm – that, together with the triangular shape of the insert, allow for true 90-degree walls. All in all, this boils down to a flexible performance tool for many machining applications, such as engine blocks in the automotive industry.
“Square 6-04 is spot-on in its application area,” says Alatalo.
Looking closer at the technical features, there are many small details that contribute to the performance of Square 6-04. The two sides of the insert are marked with one and two dots, respectively. This allows the inserts to be rotated in three steps on each side, one step at a time, as the edges are worn. If this is done in the same way on each insert, all edges will be subjected to the same cutting conditions, resulting in longer tool life.
Another benefit is that radial and axial runout is kept down, which gives better dimensional accuracy and surface finish. The latter is also supported by a large wiper flat on each edge, which normally leads to improved surface finish. Low cutting forces also mean that both power demands and energy consumption are kept down.
“We have worked hard to optimise the cutting edges without compromising on their strength,” says Alatalo.
The carbide inserts have a thickness of 3.97 mm, and the seven grades available come with Duratomic? coating. A positive rake angle, together with a strong cutting edge, provides low cutting forces and secure machining. This makes Square 6-04 even more suited for small- and medium-sized milling machines.
But no milling occurs without a cutter body. In this case there are four alternatives to choose from: cylindrical shank, Weldon shank, Combimaster? head and a shell end mill. With the latest tool range extension, the shell end mill is available from 32 millimetres (1.26 inches) in diameter. The extTienda outlet deportiva