Products and Services

The new ULTRASPEED GC4015 grade steel turning tools permit a guaranteed speed increase of at least 20% over the existing GC4015 grade. Radical re-engineering of the tool's substrate and coating manufacturing technology increase the new grade's productivity for steel turning jobs.

The substrate and coating technology has also been incorporated into the other 4000 series grades (GC4025 and GC4035). These tools cover the full range of toughness and wear-resistance features needed for optimizing performance in steel turning applications. The same tooling innovations are tailored to speed up rough and semi-finish turning by 20%-40%.

The substrate breakthrough applies an advanced gradient sintering process to vary the substrate tungsten carbide/cobalt composition along the tool's periphery. The flank is enriched with cobalt to provide toughness, assuring better edge security under demanding conditions. The nose area is enriched with tungsten carbide to impart hardness, resist wear, and minimize plastic deformation.

The patented coating breakthrough deposits a thick layer of aluminum oxide with columnar crystals oriented perpendicular to the surface and the substrate. The columnar orientation presents the most wear-resistant surface to the cutting face. It provides a path for cracks to form and terminate in the substrate, leaving the basic insert intact.

The combination of gradient sintering and coating crystal orientation creates inserts that can withstand higher cutting forces and temperatures without failing. Most applications have opted to increase cutting speed by 20% or more. Increasing cutting speed improves process economics by a factor 20-40 times greater than extending edge life at the same speed.

Greater resistance to heat also reduces the need for coolant. The new product inserts work equally well wet or dry. With elimination of coolant, metalcutting operations reduce or eliminate coolant cost, part washing, housekeeping and environmental concerns.

Sandvik Coromant Company, 1702 Nevins Road, PO Box 428, Fair Lawn, NJ 07410-0428. Tel: 201-794-5000; Fax: 201-794-5165.