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ROCKET SCIENCE
Building efficiency
DANCING WITH WOLVES
A MAGAZINE FROM SECO ISSUE 2 – 2015
The construction equipment industry is reaching new heights thanks to eficient production at
components manufacturers.
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ContentsE D G E I S S U E 2 – 2 0 1 5
04 news & Trends
07 KnowledgeTRENDS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY3D printing and porous materials are among the most important trends in the aggressively growing orthopaedics industry.
08 cAse: mATeriAlTESTING THE NEW DURATOMIC®
Nomet, a Finnish component supplier is one of the irst customers to trial Seco’s new TP grades based on Duratomic technology.
14 cAse: ApplicATionMILLINGThe new lexible manufacturing system (FMS) units prove a great success for Brazilian machine tools manufacturer Romi.
18 possiBiliTiesRECYCLING IN SPACECountdown for new space technology: reusable rockets that return to the launch pad.
20 edge And youHEINZ KRÄHENBÜHL“When I started out, it was just me and my machine in an old cowshed.”
22 cuTTing edgeQ&A WITH PATRICK DE VOSOur cutting expert answers any and all questions submitted by readers.
23 cAse: indusTry POWER GENERATION The cooperation with Seco is creating sparks for Italian turbine blade manufacturer C*Blade.
28 edge of The worldHINDRIK ENGSTRÖMSeoo’s grade developer doubles as a forest farmer on his family’s 540 hectare farm.
32 edgeucATionHIGH FEED MILLING Seco’s product manager gives inside tips on the beneits of High Feed Milling.
COVER STORY
2 EDGE (2. 2015)
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EdgE is a customer magazine
from Seco Tools published
in 25 languages worldwide.
Seco Tools AB Marketing Department, 737 82 Fagersta,
Sweden. Phone +46 223-400 00 Fax +46 223-718 60
Internet www.secotools.com Publisher Hans Hellgren E-mail
[email protected] Managing editor Katarina
Annerby E-mail [email protected] Editorial
production and layout Appelberg Publishing Group Project
manager Per-Ola Knutas Art directors Cecilia Farkas, Johan
Nohr Print Elanders Coverphoto Johannes Heuckeroth
Is it really possible to make the Duratomic inserts even better? This was the chal-lenge we presented to our Research & Development department in 2012. After
thousands of hours spent on research and
testing we can proudly say yes! Launched in
April this year, Seco’s new generation of the
revolutionary Duratomic turning grades
has already started to make a big impres-
sion in machine shops all over the world.
One of the first customers to trial the
new grades ahead of the official release
was Nomet, a Finnish component supplier,
who found that the new Duratomic TP
grades allow higher cutting speeds, are
more durable and reliable than those
offered by our competitors. Turn to
page 8 to read more.
Other great stories and new insights fea-
tured in this issue of Edge include reports
on the recycling trend in space (page 18)
and the new materials and methods used
in the thriving orthopaedics industry
(page 7).
Enjoy!
hAns hellgrenvice president, sales and [email protected]
Yes, it is possible
3EDGE (2. 2015)
Jörgen Andersson
shorT fAcTs
Position: Corporate product man
ager for milling. Main responsi
bility Copy milling & Minimaster®
products.
Education: Bergsskolan Swedish
school of mining & metallurgy and
University of Dalarna.
Career background: 10 years as
CNC operator in milling, develop
ment engineer for milling products,
corporate product manager.
Jörgen Andersson has
been working at Seco since
2005 and started in the R&D
organisation in the milling
development department.
In 2012 he moved to the mar-
keting organisation to take
the position as corporate
product manager for milling,
responsible for copy milling
and Minimaster® products.
news from The Tool experT
news & trends
A team of Dutch aeronautical students has taken its
fueleficient race car to the next level.
The students study under Martin Kampinga, Inno
vation Director at the Inholland University of Applied
Sciences in Delft, who wanted to give them a practical
application for their theoretical studies. He came up
with the idea of “Team Apollo”. “I thought: ‘Let’s get
them to build something cool’,” he says.
The resulting Apollo race car was designed using
the same materials and theories used in aviation engi
neering. It debuted in the Shell Eco Marathon in Rot
terdam in 2013.
In the 2014 race, the carbon ibre vehicle, which
weighs just 50 kilograms, travelled 550 kilometres on
1 litre of bioethanol fuel. The team is now designing
its own engine for the 2016 event.
“We needed milling and tapping tools to help build
our own engine,” Kampinga says. “So the students
decided to contact Seco Tools Benelux, who have
been very good, supplying us with tools and helping us
think about processes and solutions.”
Kampinga adds that the Shell Eco Marathon is all
about developing eficient technologies and showing
the world what is possible. His aim, he says is to devel
op better students. “Collaborating and communicat
ing with companies is integral to this and Seco have
been very supportive,” he says.
in the limelight With more than 150,000 views, the ilm Heavy Machining is one of
Seco’s biggest Youtube blockbusters. The twominute ilm features
super heavy turning of a 25 metric ton rotor shaft. If you haven’t
tuned in already, subscribe to Seco Tools on Youtube.
Edge magazine has a print run of 80,200 copies. It is translated into
24 languages and distributed to about 70 countries.
Some 95,000 copies of the Seco Tools catalogue are printed, and 65,000 copies
of the complete Machining Navigator Catalogue set are distributed.
Number crunch
70countries
Lift-of for fuel eiciency
steadyline®
Trends in today’s metal cutting
include more and more complex
work pieces, harder to machine
materials and an ever increasing
demand for productivity and prof
itability. Seco’s new Steadyline®
antivibration tooling range meets
these demands, boosts productivity
and can perform operations that are
impossible to machine with tradi
tional holders.
Beneits: Same cutting data as with
classic short holders even if the
overhang of the tool is 10xd. Seco’s
range of Seco-Capto bars for turn-
ing/static operations can be used
for boring operations as well.
4 EDGE (2. 2015)
Armortek is a small company with big
ambitions in a slightly unusual busi
ness. Run by husband and wife team
Mark and Gill Watkins, the company
is the world’s leading manufacturer of
1/6th scale armour kits, including a
model of the British WWI Mark IV Tank.
Recently Armotek launched a model
of the British 25 ield gun that initially
saw active service at the Battle of El
Alamein in 1942, and later in the Korean
and Vietnam Wars.
Each gun kit comprises some
200different parts (excluding fasteners
and rivets), and a signiicant proportion
of them are turned on Armortek’s CNC
turning centres using a range of Seco
products and solutions, such as basic
turning operations, proiling, parting
off, grooving and threading. Speciic
turned parts include the guns’ barrels,
breaches, muzzles, wheels, axles and
traverse and elevation mechanisms.
Prior to the creation of Armortek,
Mark Watkins worked as a produc
tion engineer at the Ford Company in
Dagenham. It was here in 1983 that he
irst came into contact with Seco when
involved in an innovative project to hard
turn chilled iron – a process designed
to replace the previously used grinding
method.
Remembers Mark Watkins: “The
project was successful and the role
that Seco played in the venture stuck
with me.”
going great guns
Js554-2c end mill Advanced roughing, or dynamic
milling, is a trend that is here to
stay. Seco’s goal was to offer a
tool that is capable of machining
in all conditions and handling all
CAM programmed toolpaths. In
advanced roughing, typically a high
axial engagement (ap) is combined
with a small radial engagement (ae)
and a relatively high cutting speed.
To achieve a continuous chip thick
ness at all time, the CAM module
adapts feed (vf) and/or changes the
radial engagement (ae) depend
ing on the work piece features. The
5542C designed to perform in
both these strategies.
Beneits: A single tool that offers a
solution for a wide range of materi-
als as well as for a wide range of
‘advanced roughing’ CAM modules.The Apollo carbon ibre vehicle weighs just 50 kilograms and travels 550 kilo
metres on 1 litre of bioethanol fuel.
This 25 pounder ield gun is 786mm long and weighs 9 kilos. The impressive model is made
from aluminium, steel and brass. All parts are CNC machined and/or laser cut from solid bar, billet or
castings, and manufactured to high tolerances.
5EDGE (2. 2015)
news & trends
Seco’s High Feed milling cutters
permit up to three times faster
machining than conventional
methods. Shallow depths of cut
paired with high feed per tooth
rates provide greater metal
removal rates for intensely high
levels of productivity combined
with good stability even in long
overhangs.
The new Seco Highfeed 2TM
and Seco Highfeed 4TM incor
porate new closepitch and
normal pitch designs, together
with new rectangular inserts –
LP05 (Highfeed 2) and LO06
(Highfeed 4) – that allow for
more teeth/insert pockets per
cutter diameter. With more
teeth, they excel in highspeed
cutting of hard and dificult to
machine materials – especially
when using smaller machines
with high rpm and low torque
spindles.
Beneits: Performance results
of the new cutters in terms of
speed and eficiency far exceed
those using larger, higher horse-
power machines and taking
slower heavier cuts.
Seco Highfeed 2&4
6 EDGE (2. 2015)EDGE (2. 2015)6
3D printingFrom a tooling perspective, 3D printing makes a lot of people in our industry nervous, because they see inished products being created in nearperfect shape. Personally, I think this is a great opportunity for the industry, because additive manufacturing will require specialist geometries and coatings, with renewed focus on inishing.
Porous materials The main material used in implants has been cobalt chrome (CoCr), but 15 percent of humans are allergic to the material. So we’ve seen a large move towards titanium and titanium alloys instead, and the implants are designed in such a way that the bone actually grows into the implants; they need to be porous, or honeycombed.
Ciaran DillaneCompany Director of Irish tool supplier Premier Machine Tools
Dry machining Traditional machining uses oilbased coolants (emulsionbased coolants), which are removed afterwards with cleaning solutions. However, when a material is 60 percent porous, you can see the dificulty in guaranteeing the removal of all the emulsions. “Dry machining” doesn’t use emulsions at all.
Trends in medicAl Technology
Interview Linas Alsenas Illustration by Mika Pollack/AgentMolly
Knowledge global trends
s ixTy percenT of our business
is in orthopaedics – mostly
hips and knees – and we
work with three of the biggest
manufacturers in the world, which
have their manufacturing in Ire-
land. The orthopaedics industry
has been growing aggressively for
decades, and the rates are expected
to be between six and 10 percent for
the next few years.
From a manufacturing
perspective, one interesting thing
happening is the development of
the specialized market, where there
is a lot of focus on new materials
and designs that incorporate
bone growth. The combination of
those two factors has led towards
increased interest in 3D printing,
or “additive manufacturing.”
We’ve also seen new interest
in tooling at the design stage of
orthopaedics, so the implants
are being designed with
manufacturing in mind.
Bio-compatiBle
orThopAedic indusTry Trends
7EDGE (2. 2015)
on trustBuilt
by WIf Stenger PHOTOS by AlEKSI POUTANEN
cAse material
Finnish component supplier Nomet’s relationship
with Seco spans several decades. The degree of
trust the two companies share was made clear when
Nomet trialled Seco’s new generation of TP grades,
based on Duratomic technology, ahead of its release.
EDGE (2. 2015)8
Ph
oto
: Jo
nath
an
Gain
er / G
ett
y Im
ages
Relying on Seco Seco is Nomet’s main supplier
of milling tools, with hundreds of
variations in use.
For turning, Nomet has used the
TP grades, based on Duratomic
technology since it was introduced
in 2007. Nomet was also one of
the irst companies to try out the
new TP grades based on Duratomic
technology, months ahead of its
oficial release on 1 April 2015.
Nomet’s products include components for the construction, mining and forest product industries as well as power transmission, generator
and engine manufacturing.
9EDGE (2. 2015)
uTside The finnish headquarters
of component supplier Nomet
stands a large hydraulic rock-
breaking hammer, jutting theatrically into
the sky like a large harpoon. The hammer
is an appropriate adornment to the plant,
located in the town of Tampere in the coun-
try’s south, as many of its inner parts were
manufactured here.
Today, theNomet workshop is abuzz
with dozens of large milling and turn-
ing machines. Amidst them all, a Finnish
puukko belt knife lies on a wooden table.
Workmanship still plays a key role in the
plant’s operation, despite its reliance on
CNC technology.
These two tools – the hammer and the
knife – symbolise some of the key industries
that rely on Nomet for precision metal cut-
ting and parts supply. Rauno Virkorinne,
Method Engineer at Nomet, explains, “The
mining industry has been our biggest cus-
tomer sector in recent years. The electro-
technical industry is also quite important.
So are the construction, forest, process and
vehicle industries.”
Virkorinne says while sales slowed in
2008, the domestic market is now recover-
ing. “We expect growth this year,” he says.
“We have plans to go stronger into export.
We supply machinery parts right across the
Nordic region, within Europe and to coun-
tries including the US, Russia, Brazil and
China.”
Nomet relies on Seco tools to maximise
the speed, efficiency and profitability of its
production. “The reason is reliability,” says
Virkorinne. “We can trust them. And the
support and knowledge Seco provides is also
very important for us.”
When Seco staff visit the workshop, it’s
immediately apparent how closely the two
firms work together, as is the mutual respect
and understanding that is felt. Seco Tools
Finland’s General Manager Keijo Manner is
accompanied by Technical Salesman Pertti
Tingander. Tingander worked at Nomet for
O
Promising results. Nomet was one of the irst Seco customers to test the new generation of the Duratomic based TP grades ahead of its release in April 2015. Method Engineer Rauno Virkorinne is pleased with the results.
“ It’s close to a 50 percent improvement, so that’s a signiicant cost saving.RAUNO VIRKORINNE, METHOD ENGINEER, NOMET
cAse material
10 EDGE (2. 2015)
some 20 years before joining Seco in 2008
and he still maintains close contacts at the
firm.
Keijo Manner explains, “We have another
technical salesman here in Tampere, Jorma
Kivinen, who’s here at Nomet every second
week or so, helping them to raise their pro-
ductivity.”
The two companies have a long shared
history. Established in 1950, Nomet has used
Seco tools for decades.
“The local Seco agent supplied our prod-
ucts to Nomet for many years,” says Manner.
“We bought that supplier when Seco Fin-
land was set up in 2003.”
Tingander discusses wear behaviour with
a machine operator who is testing out Seco’s
new TP grades ahead of its release in April
2015. The Duratomic technology based
coating has been redesigned at the atomic
level to make it even tougher and more
abrasion resistant. This ensures improved
thoughness, heat and wear resistance as well
as chemical intertness for longer tool life,
also at high cutting speeds.
“We’ll probably start using this new
insert,” says Virkorinne. “Our tests show that
it’s 25 percent faster and more durable than
the competitor’s product, and it’s more reli-
able, which is very important in this case.”
Nomet in a nutshellEstablished in 1950, Nomet is a machine shop and com
ponent supplier specialising in metal cutting processes.
Its main products include hydraulics components, screws,
shafts, frames, semimanufactured products and sub
assemblies.
The company’s key customer sectors include the min
ing, construction and forest product industries, as well as
power transmission, generator and engine manufacturing.
Nomet’s 55 employees work in a 5500 square metre
facility in Tampere, the largest inland city in the Nordic
region. In 2014, net sales totalled EUR 8 million.
Close contacts. Pertti Tingander, who is now a Technical Salesman, worked at Nomet for some 20 years before joining Seco in 2008. He still maintains close contacts with his old irm.
11EDGE (2. 2015)
Manner explains, “Whereas an older
insert might last for 20 minutes before you
have to change it, the new TP grades may
last 30 or 40 minutes.”
Virkorinne chimes in, “Well, it’s close to a
50 percent improvement, so that’s a signifi-
cant cost saving. It depends on the material
and so on.”
Besides Tools, seco supplies the company’s staff
with know-how, advising them on how to
maximise operations by using the best
turning grades. Both companies are keenly
aware that Nomet’s use of cutting-edge tech-
nology can improve the firm’s bottom line
and make it a more appealing partner for its
own customers. Faster cutting speeds, with
fewer stops to change tools, make everyone
happier, and are also more sustainable.
“We present all the new products to Nom-
et as they become available,” says Manner.
“We discuss any problems and try to solve
them together.”
Virkorinne says the most recent major
challenge involved hard part turning.
“Seco made suggestions of new ways to
do it,” he says. “We changed to a different
type of insert made of cubic boron nitride
(CBN). We checked the insert quality and
changed the tool holders because the
inserts had a different shape. So, advice
and suggestions are important.”
Manner says Nomet is an important cus-
tomer. “They have great potential,” he says.
“Today, our ideas and thinking regard-
ing efficiency are even more in sync than
before.”
Virkorinne agrees the relationship is
very good. Asked how the partnership
could be improved, he smiles and says
laconically: “There are no problems. It
works fine now.”
“ Our tests show that it’s 25 percent faster and more durable than the competitor’s product.”RAUNO VIRKORINNE, METHOD ENGINEER, NOMET
Mutual respect. Pertti Tingander from Seco, Rauno Virkorinne from Nomet and Keijo Manner from Seco Finland, discuss new measures to maximise the eficiency of Nomet’s production.
cAse material
12 EDGE (2. 2015)
Cutting data using Duratomic based TP2501Component: Sleeve (more details not
available due to trade secrecy)
Material: 34CrNiMo6, a lowalloy
steel containing nickel, chromium and
molybdenum. Very tough and heat
treatable with high tensile strength.
Operation: Outside rough turning
Machining objective: Better reliability,
chip control
Cutting tool: CNMM190624WR7,
TP2501
Machining data: cutting speed
175.5 metres/minute
13EDGE (2. 2015)
14 EDGE (2. 2015)
by thomAS mILz PHOTOS by lUIz MAxIMIANO
brazilian machine tools manufacturer romi has optimised its production pro-cess by introducing lexible manufacturing system (Fms) units. seco tools was
involved in the change, supplying the necessary milling cutters.
efficiency through
flexiBility
guilherme de ABreu knows all about optimising
production processes.
As Machining and Processes Engineer-
ing Supervisor at Industrias Romi, his daily
work revolves around the three MCX 900
horizontal machining units that make up
Romi’s new flexible manufacturing system
(FMS). From its base in Brazil, Romi uses
the equipment to manufacture components
for its entire range of machine tools as well
as its and plastic injection and blow mould-
ing machines.
Romi’s involvement with FMS started in
2011 when it acquired the German machine
tools manufacturer Burkhardt + Weber (B
+ W). Abreu, who is responsible for Romi’s
FMS units, then spent four months at B +
W developing Romi’s FMS project together
with the German engineering team.
Romi produced the first components on
its newly installed FMS units in April 2014.
The production of the components at the
Romi production unit at Santa Bárbara
d`Oeste, São Paulo State, made the compa-
ny the first Brazilian machine tools manu-
facturer to use FMS.
Today, Romi produces some 30 differ-
ent components on the FMS units, medi-
um-sized parts for the whole range of the
company’s machine tools, such as engine
and CNC lathes, turning and machining
centers.
Supply Chain Manager Fernando Mar-
cos Cassoni says there are plans to further
expand the concept. “We are constantly
transferring the production of further com-
ponents to the FMS units,” he says. “This is
happening at a rate of one component item
per week until we reach 150 components.”
Romi plans to increase machine running
times from today’s eight-hour shifts up to
three shifts, allowing for round-the-clock
operation by the end of 2015.
Shifting production to the FMS has huge
advantages. The machines feature a maga-
zine for 390 different tools and an automat-
ic feed system for parts and fixtures. “The
FMS allows us to reduce the production
set-up time to zero”, says Abreu. “Before the
FMS, each machine set-up took us between
three and four hours, forcing us to produce
a whole batch of each component item
cAse ApplicATion milling
15EDGE (2. 2015)
instead of the number actually needed. This
built up unnecessary stock.”
This benefit is on top of the FMS’s
increased reaction speed to demand vari-
ation, which helps to avoid unproductive
intervals. The new technology has made it
possible to shorten manufacturing periods
by up to 30 percent.
Cassoni explains, “We started the FMS
project because we needed more flexibility
in our production process. The machin-
ery and equipment markets are our core
business and demand rapid solutions. So,
we need to deliver rapid and customized,
unique solutions.”
However, flexibility alone isn t enough to
achieve high productivity. “The FMS high-
speed procession requires high-end tools,
and fortunately Seco has them,” says Cas-
soni. Guilherme de Abreu adds, “Our deci-
sion to bring Seco into our FMS project was
due to the high quality and reliability of its
cutting tools as well as its excellent support.
We knew this from previous projects.”
Claudenir Paro Junior is Seco Tools
Brazil’s Component Engineered Tooling
Coordinator. “We joined the project in its
development phase, as we had to make sure
that our products would be able to respond
to all requirements,” he says. “As Romi
produces a wide range of different compo-
nents on the same machine, our job was to
adapt our tools so they would work perfectly
within the different set-ups.”
Seco Tools now supplies all the milling
cutters used by Romi’s FMS units, and it
provides support for the ongoing expansion
of the FMS.
Cassoni says speed and quality will be
even more important moving ahead. “Brazil
makes up about 70 percent of Romi’s sales,
and it’s a difficult market, especially now
with the economy going through hard
times,” he says. “You have to work harder
and be even more flexible to become as
competitive as need.”
Further investment is planned, focusing
on automation of all production processes,
including miniload and further logistic
solutions.
“Brazil’s economy often suffers from a
lack of investments in innovative solutions.
But we do things differently,” says Cassoni,
showing the same entrepreneurial spirit
that has brought Romi to the vanguard of
modern production processes.
Number of different
tools in the magazine
of the FMS units.
390
cAse ApplicATion milling
RomiIndústrias Romi S. A., founded in
1930, is the Brazilian machinery
and industrial equipment market
leader. Exporting to ive conti
nents, Romi`s core markets include
Latin and North America as well
as Europe, with representations in
England, Spain, Germany, France,
USA, Mexico and China, supplying
various industrial sectors such as
oil, gas, mining, tooling, machining,
automobile and aircraft as well as
metallurgy.
16 EDGE (2. 2015)
“ The FMS allows us to reduce the production set-up time to zero.”GUILHERME DE ABREU, MACHINING AND PROCESSES ENGINEERING SUPERVISOR, INDUSTRIAS ROMI
Seco at RomiRomi’s decision to choose Seco Tools as a supplier
for its FMS project was based on the two compa
nies working together successfully on previous
projects.
Seco supplies Romi with more than 100 milling
cutters for the FMS units, including Square 6TM,
Double OctomillTM and carbide cutters. It also sup
plies custom tooling.
17EDGE (2. 2015)
Rocket science
THE RECYCLING TREND has now
reached space. While most rockets are
designed to burn up on reentry, Californiabased
space technology company SpaceX is developing
rockets designed not only to withstand reentry but
also to return to the launch pad for a vertical landing.
In March 2014, SpaceX began testing the F9R devel
opment test vehicle, an advanced prototype for the
world’s irst reusable rocket. A commercial version of
this rapidly reusable space launch vehicle could
reduce the cost of reaching Earth orbit by one
hundredfold, according to SpaceX.
possiBiliTies recycling in space
18 EDGE (2. 2015)18
Space program Tools made by Seco have
been used in the develop
ment of the rocket thruster
nozzles. Seco produces a
range of products aimed at
the space and aerospace
industries.
MS2050The introduction of Seco
Tools’ new MS2050 insert
grade allows for a whole
new level of productivity.
When machining aerospace
parts in titanium, MS2050
will extend tool life by 40 to
60 percent compared with
conventional inserts across
the same cutting param
eters.
Perfect for square shoulder
milling, face milling, copy
milling and high feed milling
in titanium applications, the
grade MS2050 features a
new coating technique and
substrate, optimised for dif
icult situations.
Read more on secotools.
com/aerospace
in EDGE’s possibilities sec-tion, we look at some of the
world’s more interesting curi-osities and the seco tools that can be implemented to help
construct them.
Ph
oto
: N
AS
A/J
Pl-C
altech
Building your own reusABle spAceship?
19EDGE (2. 2015) 19
20 EDGE (2. 2015)
edge and you
Heinz Krähenbühl
Age:
50
funcTion:
Founder and CEO of
PROCAM CNC AG
locATion:
Huttwil, Switzerland
fAmily:
Married
hoBBies:
Ice hockey. He is the
honorary CEO of the
Brandis ice hockey club.
educATion:
Vocational training as
machine mechanic.
when i sTArTed ouT on my own nearly
20 years ago, I decided to focus on size. My
first CNC machine was able to handle items
that were six metres long, which was huge
at the time and quite unusual in Switzer-
land. I recognised that dealing with larger
items would be a specialisation that would
differentiate me from most of the other
machining shops. I’ve stayed with that idea
ever since. We can now handle items that are
16 metres long, and we’ve just put in a CNC
machine that can deal with components that
are 3 metres square and 4.3 metres high.
We’re a small company with 15 staff. You
would usually expect to find machines such
as ours in companies with 100 or 150 staff.
However, our size means that we’re flexible
and that we can respond more rapidly to
market requirements.
Seco Tools has a special position here.
When I started out, it was just me and my
machine in an old cowshed in the middle of
nowhere and only Seco could be bothered
to find the way. Since then, our relationship
has developed. I know that I’m always up to
date with the latest technology, and they are
very quick to solve problems.
heinz krähenbühl founded his pro-cam cnc business in the small swiss village of huttwil nearly 20 years ago. right from the start, he specialised in offering customers a lexible approach to
the handling of large components.
BIG IS BEAUTIFUL
by mIchAeL LAWton PHOTO by bASIlE bORNAND
21EDGE (2. 2015)
ask patrick
do you have questions?
send them to the email
address below:
cuTTing edge Q&a
pATricK de Vos, corporATe TechnicAl educATion mAnAger AT seco Tools group, Answers your quesTions ABouT mAchining.
Answer: The new Duratomic
technology coating has a
chrome appearance/Used Edge
Detection. In turning appli-
cations, the used-inserts box
inevitably contains a number of
cutting edges that have not been
used. Based on visual observa-
tion, the operator cannot be
sure whether they have been
used already, so, just to be safe,
he or she will take a new insert
instead. This is a serious waste
of money.
However, the new Duratomic
coating’s high contrast chrome
color clearly signals whether
the cutting edge has been used.
This seriously reduces the
throwing away of new cutting
edges: we found that Used Edge
Detection reduces the percent-
age of disposed, unused cutting
edges from an average of more
than 10% to nearly zero.
An important side note: the
Chrome Used Edge Detection
does not affect the performance
of the coating. In the past, coat-
ing materials have often fea-
tured a certain property – but at
the same time also introduced
some kind of limitation. This is
absolutely not the case for the
new chrome Duratomic tech-
nology based coating.
Answer: Some people seem to be
capable of doing magic in metal
cutting. If that’s the case, “magi-
cal” phenomena is controlled by
“magic” formulas. And magic
formulas are found in magic
books.
For metal cutting magic,
there are lots of magic books
available. However, most of
them were written back in
1950s, and more recent ones are
rare. The textbook Metal Cut-
ting, Theories in Practice was
written in 2014, and it tells the
story as it is today, with today’s
tools and for today’s workpiece
materials.
Making the best tools avail-
able is Seco’s core business, but
informing our customers about
the best techniques and meth-
ods on how to use the tools is
equally important. Too often
good advice for a fast, economi-
cal and reliable cutting process
is obtained at random and by
coincidence. By including this
textbook in Machining Naviga-
tor, Seco underlines its ambi-
tions of being a competent sup-
plier. Machining Navigator thus
expands from being a reliable
source of information to being a
reliable source of knowledge, as
well, for the industry.
Answer: Productivity in metal
cutting is driven by the metal
removal rate. A higher metal
removal rate (the volume of
material removed per time unit)
equals a more efficient and pro-
ductive process. The removal
rate is determined as the prod-
uct of the axial and radial depth
of cut, the feed/tooth and the
cutting speed.
When comparing traditional
milling tools with high-feed
milling tools, we observe that
for the same depth of cut and
feed, the width of the chip
increases when using high-feed
milling tools. At the same time,
the average thickness of the
chip is reduced, which means
that the feeds can be increased
to very high levels (what we refer
to as a high feed milling tech-
nique). These differences mean
lower mechanical, thermal and
tribological loads on the cutting
edge – and therefore better-con-
trolled tool deterioration phe-
nomena, longer tool life of the
cutting edge and a more reliable
cutting process.
is the chrome appearance of the new dura-tomic coating purely cosmetic, or does it
have a function?
why does machining navigator 2015 include a textbook on metal cutting?
how do high-feed milling tools and techniques lead to longer tool life?
22 EDGE (2. 2015)
by geA ScAncAreLLo PHOTOS by MAURIzIO CAMAGNA
NEW SPIN
ON AN OLD
TRADITIONWhen the 2008 economic crisis hit, Italian turbine blade manufacturer C*Blade needed to find ways
of becoming more flexible and more efficient. With help from Seco Tools, it streamlined its
machining processes and is now thriving.
Creating sparks. C*Blade manufactures turbine blades for use in the power generation industry.
cAse indusTry power generation
EDGE (2. 2015) 23
iT All sTArTed wiTh KniVes.
Seven centuries ago, while the rest of what
is now modern Italy was developing com-
merce, science and the arts, artisans in
the town of Maniago were learning how to
expertly forge metals. Located at the foot of
the Dolomite mountain range, the town’s
iron-rich soil and abundant water supply,
made it ideally suited to the craft of knife
making. Its high quality blades quickly
became highly sought after, and the town
is today considered by many to be the world
knife capital.
Since the 1960s, Maniago has also been
known for another blade making tradition
– manufacturing turbine blades for use
in power generation. The town is home to
C*Blade, one of only a handful of compa-
nies capable of meeting the high demands
of the power generation industry. From two
plants, C*Blade’s 130 technicians provide
the big names in the power generation mar-
ket with a wide range of completely-ready-
to-fit blades for both steam and gas turbines.
Gianluca Canzian, C*Blade’s Cam-Cad
Office Manager, explains the business is
continually evolving. “Over the last 15 years,
blade manufacturing has changed signifi-
cantly,” he says. “New processes and engi-
neering techniques have been introduced.
The power generation industry needs more
efficient products, which means better per-
forming blades. However, for manufacturers
this means more complicated machining.”
The global economic crisis that started
in 2008 made the situation even more chal-
lenging. Even the most successful power
generation companies drastically reduced
C*bladeBased in the northeast Italian town of Maniago, C*Blade’s
specialty is manufacturing forged turbine blades. It carries
out every step of the production process, from creating the
irst paper sketches to providing the readytoit product. The
company assumed its current name in 2000 with the merger
of Campolin & Beltrame and ISTAL, but its origins stretch back
to 1963 when it began forging steel products. Its expertise has
continued to grow ever since.
Today, C*Blade is one of the few companies in the world
capable of machining any turbine blade for the power genera
tion industry. Products include blades with overall lengths of
up to 1,500 mm and weights of up to 180 kg. The company pro
duces 40,000 blades a year.
C*Blade uses 3D modelling to design the molds for the turbine blades.
cAse indusTry power generation
24 EDGE (2. 2015)
“ The change has translated into a 40 percent drop in our costs, as well as a boost in productivity.”LUCA BASSAN, MACHINING WORKSHOP MANAGER, C*BLADE
25EDGE (2. 2015)
their spending, with many postponing new
investments on turbines.
“This has also partially changed the focus
of our work, as we’re often asked to produce
new blades to replace older ones on existing
turbines,” says Canzian.
To adapt to the changes, C*Blade has had
to become more flexible and efficient and
to work in a more timely fashion. Manufac-
turing precision has had to be maintained,
despite lowered revenues.
The company has dealt with the changes
by completely rethinking its approach to
operations and machining. In this, it has
had help from one of its long-term solution
providers, Seco Tools.
Previously, all milling tools used by
C*Blade were completely customised for
individual machining jobs. This provided
a high degree of precision, but was costly
and time consuming, as tools had to be both
produced and then replaced when they
worn out.
Customised solutionsSeco Tools works side by side with C*Blade in
creating engineering tools tailored for speciic
machining needs. Since 2013, two major inno
vations have been introduced: the customised
disc milling cutter with standard insert and the
FirTree cutter.
The customised disc milling cutter with
standard insert is a family of disc milling cut
ters designed to suit C*Blade processing. The
tailored body adapts to speciic milling criteria,
while standard inserts can be changed and
replenished in an easy, timely fashion, cutting
down both storage and investment costs.
The FirTree cutter optimises the produc
tion of the foot of turbine blades, doing work
that was previously carried out by two separate
machines. Processing time has been reduced
by 70 percent.
cAse indusTry power generation
C*Blade’s origins stretch back to 1963 when it began forging steel products. Its expertise has continued to grow ever since.
The forgings are normally made from special bar quality steel. The CAM programs required for the milling of the blades in the company’s CNC machines are developed by C*Blade itself (below).
26 EDGE (2. 2015)
Luca Bassan, C*Blade Machining Work-
shop Manager, explains, “In order to be
more flexible, we needed to reduce both
the costs and stock-replenishing time for
our milling tools. Working side by side with
staff from Seco Tools, we were able to come
up with a challenging idea that proved
effective.”
The engineers came up with the idea of
combining customised tools with standard
ones. This meant, for example, using a cus-
tomised disc milling cutter with standard
inserts. Unlike disc milling cutters, stand-
ard inserts can be ordered and replaced at
any time, with just a couple of days’ waiting
time for stock to be replenished. The inserts
are always in stock and are cheaper than the
custom ones.
By comBining These two types of elements,
C*Blade has been able to maintain qual-
ity while reducing costs. “Standard inserts
don’t suffer from obsolescence and don’t
require investment spending, and this
means less money stuck in the store room,”
says Bassan, “The change has translated
into a 40 percent drop in our costs, as well as
a boost in productivity.”
The idea has proved so successful that
it has become a standard approach for all
processes involving the different varieties
of milling tools at C*Blade machining. The
concept of modularity was introduced to the
Fir-Tree cutter, making the production of
blades significantly easier.
Costantino Lovato is International Appli-
cation Expert for the Power Generation seg-
ment at Seco Tools, says, “It’s very important
to listen to customers’ needs, and to work
intensively to try to satisfy them. This is what
we did with C*Blade.”
Seco Tools and C*Blade staff are now con-
tinuing to cooperate, discussing problems
and potential solutions, as they manage the
transformation of the processes and ensure
that each operation runs smoothly. “If our
customers need greater flexibility, then
we need to become more flexible too,” says
Lovato.
Customised disc mills are assembled with standard SNHQ12 inserts for proiling the inishing machining of the fork type foot of the turbine blade.
Ph
oto
: C
*b
lad
e
27EDGE (2. 2015)
Hindrik EngströmAge: 38
BAcKground: Agricultural college,
studies in mechanical engi
neering at Chalmers University,
degreerelated work at Outo
kumpu in Avesta, Sweden. He
is a grade developer and project
manager at Seco Tools’ R&D
department in Fagersta, Sweden.
hoBBies: Moose hunting,
downhill skiing, spending
time with his family.
by kArIn StrAnd PHOTOS by JONAS GAUFFIN
edge of The world hindrik engström
28 EDGE (2. 2015)
During ofice hours, Hindrik Engström is a developer within Seco
Tools’ research and development department. but in his spare time,
the 38-year-old cuts down trees, builds roads and maintains old
buildings. He feels he truly has the best of both worlds.
The roAd To dullBo fArm, some 30 kilometres northwest
of Seco’s headquarters in Fagersta, Sweden, winds
its way through a white, fairytale landscape. Snow
weighs down the young deciduous trees, bending
them into graceful arcs across the road. Even the
dark fir trees have white drifts on their branches.
But then, the forest opens up and the farm comes
into view. It’s situated high up, overlooking an ice-
covered lake and a forest-covered hill.
Hindrik Engström is dressed appropriately for
the outdoors, from the cap on his head to the snow
gaiters on his legs and the heavy boots on his feet.
He has come straight from the forest where he has
balance
been working on his harvester.
We enter his house, which dates
from 1808, and settle down in the
large kitchen. Ekko, an elkhound,
stretches out on the floor as steam
rises from the teacups.
“The farm has been in the fam-
ily since the sixteenth century,”
Engström explains. “There’s even
a preserved deed of endowment
from [the founder of modern
Sweden] King Gustav Vasa. It’s
dated 20 April 1552 and it states
A perfect
29EDGE (2. 2015)
“ Suddenly, the wolves were just 10 metres from me.”
HINDRIK ENGSTRöM
that Peder Jonsson in Tullebo is entitled ’to cultivate
and use’ the land on condition that he pays taxes to
the Crown. It was the King’s ploy to satisfy loyal sub-
jects and secure income for the state.”
TulleBo BecAme dullBo and, nowadays, it’s Peder Jons-
son’s descendant Hindrik Engström who cultivates
and uses the land. Essentially, this means that he’s
a forest farmer in his spare time. Overall, there are
540 hectares divided into three sections, with Eng-
ström himself handling a good deal of the work.
“I have a lot of fun and get a lot of stimulation from
my job as a developer and project manager, and that
includes lots of interaction with people from various
countries. But, at the same time, it’s extremely pleas-
ant to return to the peace and quiet here at home in
the forest after a working day. And to work on man-
aging and improving my ancestral farm.”
During his childhood, the forest was Engström’s
main interest, and he studied at the agricultural col-
lege with the intention of becoming a forest ranger
or forester. But after military service, he wasn’t so
keen on studying, and he drove a harvester for three
years.
“But that’s a lonely job with very little social
interaction,” he says. “So I moved to Gothenburg,
undertook supplementary study, and was accepted
by Chalmers University where I studied mechanical
engineering. Eventually, I got a job at Seco Tools’
R&D department where, in my role as a project man-
ager, I monitor products from concept to realisation
and constantly deal with people. It’s very stimulating
and enjoyable.”
engsTröm is pArT of the team that developed many
of Seco’s Duratomic product grades. This task is
primarily focused on turning grades, but he has
also had a lot to do with the development of milling
grades.
“Now that I work so much with farm machinery,
I have some understanding of the demands made
on many of the parts produced using our inserts,” he
says. “Unfortunately, there are no Seco Tools prod-
ucts in my forest machinery. But I’m sure that Seco’s
inserts have been used somewhere in the manufac-
ture of the equipment.”
However, forestry is not Engström’s only pursuit
away from his job. Dullbo farm comprises no fewer
than 28 buildings. These range from a nineteenth
century log cabin, which served as accommodation
for labourers and maids, to a modern machine hall,
decked out in shiny silver-toned metal. The need for
maintenance is constant.
“Looking ahead, I plan to paint the hall red so that
it blends in better,” Engström says. “Otherwise, the
barn is this year’s project, which involves repairing
the roof. And then there’s always facades that need
edge of The world hindrik engström
1552The year when
Hindrik Engström’s
ancestors were giv-
en the rights from the
Swedish Crown to
“cultivate and use”
dullbo farm.
30EDGE (2. 2015)
painting and windows that need new putty.”
Because he spends a lot of time in the forest,
Engström has had some very exciting experiences
there. What made the biggest impression was his
encounter with a pair of wolves.
“Suddenly, they were just ten metres away from
me,” he says. “The female was completely silver-
white and the male was black with a brown mark
on his forehead. These powerful and cunning
animals looked confidently at me and then walked
around me in a semi-circle, before continuing
away determinedly. That was a really memorable
experience.”
See more images of Hindrik and his family’s farm in the EDGE iPad app.
ForWArdErS:
“Absolutely necessary
for driving timber to the
road.”
ExCAvATorS:
“To repair roads and a
thousand other things
– an investment that
pays off quickly.”
BruSHCuTTErS:
“Clearing and thinning
young forests is crucial in
ensuring good growth.”
3 types of equipment necessary for a forest farmer
31EDGE (2. 2015)
High Feed Milling is recommended if… You have problems with vibrations
… You want to increase productivity
… You are roughing hardened materials and super alloys.
32 EDGE (2. 2015)
Faster and more eicient
high feed milling is fAsT. It’s designed to
remove as much material as possible
in the shortest amount of time. In
fact, it can almost triple the amount
of material removed compared
to machining with conventional
methods.
Not only does High Feed Milling
increase productivity by removing
material faster, but it also achieves
this with greater stability, extending
tool life. Jörgen Andersson, Product
Manager, Copy Milling, explains,
“High Feed Milling is less sensitive
to vibrations due to axially directed
forces than ordinary milling meth-
ods, which means that you can keep
up the feeds even in long tool over-
hangs.”
There are a number of excellent reasons
to use High Feed Milling. Here are a few
tips to get you started.
by cArI SImmonS PHOTOS by JONAS GAUFFIN
edge-ucATion
33EDGE (2. 2015)
How it worksHigh Feed Milling is a milling method that pairs shallow depth of cut with high
feed per tooth, which provides higher metal removal rates, resulting in more
parts being machined. The cutting forces are directed at the machine spindle
in the axial direction, meaning greater stability and reduced vibrations, extend
ing tool life.
The most common use for High Feed Milling is in hardsteel intense
industries, such as aerospace and engineering, where the method is used for
roughing, the irst step in the metalworking process.
“ The more diicult the materials are to machine, the more beneicial it is to use High Feed Milling.”
JöRGEN ANDERSSON, PRODUCT MANAGER, SECO
Even with the increased pro-
ductivity, High Feed Milling
consumes less energy than con-
ventional milling, while remov-
ing the same amount of material.
(See the sidebar for details.)
High Feed Milling is mainly
used as a roughing method and
it can be applied in all kinds of
applications and materials. It
can be found in all industrial
segments, especially within aero-
space, die and mould, and gen-
eral engineering. “The more
difficult the materials are to
machine, the more beneficial it
is to use High Feed Milling,” says
Andersson.
The decision on whether or not to
use High Feed Milling also comes
down to the application. “High
Feed Milling is especially recom-
mended if you have difficult-to-
machine materials or if you have
long overhang on the tools, for
instance when you have deep cavi-
ties to mill,” says Andersson.
Seco Tools has been expanding
its portfolio of tools for High Feed
Milling to match every applica-
tion. The company was one of the
first on the market to offer High
34 EDGE (2. 2015)
How High Feed Milling increases material removal rates and decreases energy consumption.
Q= material removal rates (MRR cm3/min)
W= power consumption
Button insert cutter
Q = 20.4 cm3/min
W = from 43 to
45 w/cm3/min
High feed cutter
Q = 45 cm3/min
W = from 37 to
39 w/cm3/min
Feed Milling solutions. Demand
has risen sharply since the first
product family was launched
in 2003, the R217/220.21-Rxxx
range with 218.19 inserts.
“Today, we’re also adding dou-
ble-sided high feed insert solu-
tions, so that we can offer high-
performing solutions that are also
more cost effective,” says Anders-
son. “The double-sided solution
means that you can multiply the
number of edges, provided that
you don’t have sticky materials or
require a lot of ramping. In that
case, the double-sided solutions
can have some limitations in per-
formance.”
A number of factors must be
considered to get the most out
of the High Feed Milling strat-
egy, and it’s here that Seco Tools’
expertise can help. “We look into
what kinds of machines are being
used, the machining applications,
the materials and what is being
manufactured when we recom-
mend a tool so that we provide
each customer with the best possi-
ble solution,” Andersson says.
despiTe such supporT and the many
advantages of High Feed Milling,
there is still some hesitancy to use
it. Andersson believes some peo-
ple are fearful that it will cause
their machines to break down.
However, he dispels this fear.
“In my opinion, it’s more ben-
eficial for machines to run with
High Feed Milling tools because
the power consumption in the
machine goes down, meaning less
stress on the machine and longer
life.” Above all, says Andersson,
“Don’t be afraid of High Feed
Milling!”
read more on Seco’s new highfeed 2
and highfeed 4 on page 6.
Seco’s new Highfeed 2 and Highfeed 4 incorporate new closepitch and normal pitch designs, together with new rectangular inserts – LP05 (Highfeed 2) and LO06 (Highfeed 4) – that allow for more teeth/insert pockets per cutter diameter.
edge-ucATion
35EDGE (2. 2015)
03007279 ST20156492
checK ouT Edgeupdate.com’s
new look, featuring access to
our Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram pages. Also, don’t
forget that you can read an
enhanced version of every
EDGE issue on your iPad by
downloading the app!
geT more on your ipAdEnjoy videos, slideshows of addi
tional photos and more on EDGE
magazine’s iPad app.
edge updATedJust like the magazine,
Edgeupdate.com has a new look
and a lot of new features. Be sure
to check it out!
liKe us!And don’t forget to visit our
Facebook and Instagram pages,
and send us a tweet on Twitter
about anything Seco related.
wAnT more?
Tp1501WIdeLy AppLIcAbLe to steel workpieces,
as well as those made from softer, low-alloy
steels, the TP1501, with its well-balanced
properties, is the top choice for operations
requiring high wear resistance and elevated
cutting speeds.
Tp2501deSIgned for mAnufActurerS
focused on dependable productivity
and reliable part production. This grade
is the top choice for operations, from
roughing to inishing, involving a variety
of workpiece material requirements and
unpredictable working conditions.
Tp0501beSt SuIted for stable conditions
and situations allowing the highest output,
TP0501 is the top choice for achieving the
highest possible wear resistance and/or
cutting speeds in high-alloy and abrasive
steel turning applications.
THE INDUSTRY’S BEST GRADES FOR STEEL TURNING
tools oF the trade
SteeL turnIng remains one of the
most common industrial processes in
the world. Through the incorporation of
Duratomic technology in the TP2500,
TP1500, TP0500 and TP3500 grades,
Seco has built a reputation as a leader in
this application area. Now, Seco is living
up to that reputation with a dramatic new
introduction. Since the launch in 2007,
Seco has continued to conduct extensive
research into the Duratomic technology.
All of that knowledge has been incorpo-
rated into three new grades: TP2501,
TP1501 and TP0501. While keeping the
same characteristics and strengths of
their predecessors, these new grades rep-
resent a substantial improvement to both
toughness and wear resistance.
36 EDGE (2. 2015)
