Seco_Edge-1-2013_en-gb_LR

DIESEL POWER

READY FOR 2016

A MAGAZINE FROM SECO #1.2013

LARGE TAILOR-MADE disc milling cutters pave the way for ABC Diesel’s new, ultra-modern marine diesel engine.

ALL SYSTEMS GO WITH IMPROVED

PCA TOOL

MACHINING SOLUTION

BEATS A PATH TO THE ORE

Read Edge on your Ipad!Scan the code

NEW_Seco_Edge-1-2013_en-gb.indd 1 2012-10-23 16:21:13

ALONG WITH A FEW other improvements, the Minimaster Plus tool system has added a new line of inserts for high-feed machining to its collection of square shoulder, ball nose and multi-fl ute inserts.

WWW.SECOTOOLS.COM/MINIMASTERPLUSProduct availability: NOWOrder & application data: MN Update 2013-1

HOW IT WORK S M I N I M A S T E R P L U S ™

TEXT: Åke R Malm PHOTO: Seco

Minimaster Plus

The system has also been

extended with shanks

in cemented carbide for

improved rigidity.

EDGE is a customer magazine from Seco Tools published in 25 languages worldwide. Seco Tools AB Marketing Depart-ment, 737 82 Fagersta, Sweden. Phone +46 223-400 00 Fax +46 223-718 60 Internet www.secotools.com Pub-lisher Hans Hellgren E-mail [email protected]

Managing editor Jennifer Hilliard E-mail [email protected] Editorial production and layout Appelberg Publishing Group Project manager Anders Nordner Art directors Cecilia Farkas, Johan Nohr Print Elanders Coverphoto Gettyimages, Ed Pritchard

Editorial material in this publication is the copyright of the publisher, Seco Tools AB. Articles may be reproduced free of charge providing reference is made to Edge and the Managing Editor is notifi ed. The trademarks and brand names used in this publication are protected by law.

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ON THE JOB: A SPANISH DUO At Spanish manufacturer Alumalsa, Alfonso Moliner and Raúl Arnas work to optimise production.

APPLICATION: MILLING Large tailor-made disc milling cutters pave the way for ABC Diesel’s new, ultra-modern diesel engine.

FIVE TRENDS IN METAL CUTTING Reducing waste production is just one trend outlined by ThyssenKrupp Materials in France.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER BY THE BOOKEducation and training for metal cutting profes-sionals is taken to the next level with a new book.

INDUSTRY: MINING Pump manufacturer IMBIL in Brazil increased manufacturing speed by 90 percent, while machining costs fell 60 percent.

ONWARD AND UPWARD The new Productivity and Cost Analysis system will soon be available for tablets.

SUSTAINABILITY: SECO’S OWN CARBON TAX Corporate social responsibility is more than a catchword; it’s the catalyst for a sustainable future.

WE LIVE IN A TIME where information is accessible through a variety of channels. That’s why we decided to make EDGE magazine available on the iPad. This is now the second issue to be produced for the tablet. The EDGE app offers our readers the same access to information about our products, technical articles and customer cases along with supplemental mate-rial that really comes to life in the digital arena. Look for EDGE on the iPad in the Apple AppStore or scan the QR code on the front page of the magazine to ac-cess the app directly.

This isn’t the only new avenue in which we aim to provide you with compelling and informative stories. We are currently expanding our presence in the virtual world, putting the fi nishing touches on a website–edgeupdate.com–with news, facts, and information about Seco and our products.

For this issue of EDGE, though, we take a tour in the real world, traveling fi rst to Belgium to learn more about the production of diesel engines, before making a stop in Brazil to see how one company’s equipment deals with the rigours of mining.

Finally, Seco’s own Patrick de Vos and Professor Jan-Eric Ståhl of Lund University in Sweden have written a book about the tooling industry. It’s just another example of Seco’s continuous endeavour to provide helpful knowledge and service to our customers.

Enjoy!

Seco employees spend time volunteering for a charitable organisation.

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

C O N T E N T S E D I T O R I A L #1.2013

SUGGESTIONS? Do you have story ideas for Edge? Send them to [email protected].

hans hellgren

senior vice president,

sales and marketing

[email protected]


A P P L I C A T I O N M I L L I N G

A Belgian company’s

latest engine is the culmination of 100 years of experience in

diesel technology.


TEXT:

Jan Ta

zela

ar PH

OTOS:

Diete

r Tele

mans

DESCENDANTDIESEL’S

At ABC Diesel, huge engines require special machining.


LARGE FACTORY hall located in the outskirts of Ghent, Belgium, is fi lled to capacity with

hundreds of large and small machines, cranes, crates and thousands of engine parts. Some of these parts, straight from the mould, are still unmachined, and some are intricately machined; most of them are too heavy to ma-chine by hand. Here, a dedicated workforce hand assembles 150 engines every year.

ABC Diesel is a successful builder of medium to large diesel engines sold all over the world. The “Anglo Belgian Company” was established a century ago, in 1912 by a group of investors. One of the investors, the Carels Brothers, brought the license for the diesel engine to the new company; Georges Carels was a friend of diesel engine inventor Rudolf Diesel.

Today, many of the workers

The ABC’s of ABCFounded in 1912, ABC Diesel has 220 employees and produces about 150 state-of-the-art diesel engines per year that are sold in more than 120 countries. The six- and eight-cylinder inline engines and the V12s and V16s in the 500–4,000 kW range are used for locomotives, power stations and smaller vessels such as tugboats and fi shing vessels.

have been with ABC for decades. One of them applies delicate strip-ing onto a tiny, single-cylinder diesel engine the size of a water cooler. This little engine left the plant a century ago, and it is now being carefully restored for a new museum being opened as part of ABC Diesel’s centenary celebra-tion.

And what better way to cel-ebrate such a milestone than with a promising new design? In Sep-tember 2012 ABC’s 6DL36 engine was introduced at the SMM trade fair in Hamburg. This engine represents the latest in diesel technology, built to meet the strict international emission require-ments (IMO-3) for 2016 with ease – even without a cumbersome, power-reducing catalytic convert-er. Double-turbo EGR technology and specially shaped combustion chambers help make this one of the most advanced diesel engines in its class.

“It represents a giant leap – not

only in a technological sense, but also for us at ABC Diesel,” says Production Chief Johan Van de Velde. “This engine is twice as large as anything else we’ve ever built, and it required a massive investment in new machining facilities.”

ABC SPENT fi ve million euros on a huge CNC machine from Waldrich Coburg in order to mill the new engine’s parts. The tools for the job are supplied by Seco, which has been supplying ABC with tools for decades. Dirk Tack, supervisor for the new machine, says, “This big machine was a new

Any interruption of the fl ow can cost us dearly.”

A

To Tim Berck-moes, Manag-ing Director at ABC Diesel, reliability throughout the supply chain is crucial.

Seco has supplied to ABC Diesel for decades.

Johan Van de Velde

A P P L I C A T I O N M I L L I N G


522] endmill which they claimed to be stable at an edge length of fi ve times its own diameter [5xD], and more. But it was! Seco tools are the only ones that al-ways work fl awlessly right from the moment we install them.”

Luc Claeys, Sales Representative with Seco, explains: “Our inserts are fairly thick, which enables a safe cutting operation, a require-ment from ABC. Furthermore, we have many cutting edges per insert, which makes the milling inserts excellent value for money.”

Mazak CNC machines at ABC operate unattended for two four-hour shifts every day. “Any

interruption of the fl ow can cost us dearly, as during those hours there is no supervisor to intervene if something breaks down,” says Van de Velde. “That is why tool reliability is extremely important for us.”

Tim Berckmoes, Managing Director at ABC, adds, “Reliability is very much a characteristic of the engines we build, so we need this same reliability throughout our whole supply chain. We must have 100-percent confi dence in our tool supplier, and the people from Seco have proven for many years that we can trust them time and again.”

6DL36 Engine Type: 6 cylinder inline

Launched: Sept. 2012Power output per cylinder: 900 HPRPM: 750 Complies with: future interna-tional emission standard IMO-3Projected development: the new engine range will be extended to a power output of over 15,000 HP.

Dirk Tack, Process Engineer, appreciates Seco’s large disc milling cutters tailor-made for ABC Diesel and is responsible for the project.

challenge for us, so we needed a lot of new solutions. From day one, Seco has been working with us on many of those. Some particularly large disc milling cut-ters – diameter 450 millimetres – were tailor-made for us.”

Tack appreciated Seco’s involvement. “There are sales reps who sell, and sales reps who think along with you,” he says. “We only want to deal with the latter, and that is exactly what they do at Seco. Honestly, in some cases we doubted if their ideas would work, like when they came up with a long fl ute fi nisher, a solid carbide [type


edge [1·2013]8

A new, enhanced version of the PCA system is coming soon.TEXT: Cari Simmons PHOTO: uniquely india/fanatic studio

THE THOUSANDS OF SECO customers who have taken advan-tage of the Productivity and Cost Analysis (PCA) system since it was fi rst developed in the early 1990s have typically enjoyed cost savings of between 15–30 percent and productivity im-provements of up to 40 percent.

“PCA is a very powerful tool that, among other things, enables customers to level out production on the shop fl oor, easily iden-tify bottlenecks or constraints and stay in control of their pro-duction processes,” says Ben Alexander, Service Owner Cutting Applications and PCA at Seco Tools.

The PCA system was recently enhanced, enabling customers to log on to a centralised databank, view reports and integrate comments. “The new system includes an HTML presentation layer and can provide reports for multiple platforms, from desk-top computers to tablets,” says Alexander. “It also has better integration with our core systems’ product and customer data, enabling us to learn from each other’s experiences.”

PCA is performed by a Seco representative, and all reports are available strictly through the service. The latest version of PCA, which was released in January 2013, will offer customers greater access not only to completed PCA reports, but also to individual test reports, R&D trials and Component Engineered Tooling (CET) studies.

“We are building up even more experience and knowledge in the system,” says Alexander. “With a CET report, for example, we get closer to the machine tool builders and can provide more details and consistency in reporting, no matter where we are in the world.”

There are some ambitious plans for the future too: “We want to connect the application to the learning management system that is currently being built to share knowledge and experience better within the Seco group. We also want to provide partners and distributors with more access to this application. Our goal is to make our sales staff the most knowledgeable on the market when it comes to today’s cutting practices, the most aware of what is happening in the fi eld – and well-prepared for any chal-lenge by providing data in a nice, easy-to-use format.”

P R O D U C T P C A

Advancedanalysis


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Ben Alexander strives to meet everyone’s requirements.

Back to the future

Ben Alexander is not the fi rst in his family to work with Productivity and Cost Analysis (PCA) development. Back in the early 1990s, Alexander’s father was one of a small team at Seco who invented PCA in the UK. The system began with spreadsheets and macros but Ben Alexander, who start-ed working at Seco Tools in 2004 and on PCA since 2009, has been updat-ing it with possibilities for social media, tablets and a centralised databank.

At the time it was developed, PCA offered a new way of thinking. “Seco wanted to show customers that the cost of tools was actually a very small part of the overall production costs,” says Alexander. “There were larger savings and multiple benefi ts to be made in such areas as increasing pro-duction capacity.”

For the latest version of the soft-ware, Alexander has been working closely with individuals from many dif-ferent departments within Seco. “We tried to include as many stakeholders as possible in the software develop-ment to make sure we meet everyone’s requirements, be it from CET, R&D or IT. The more experiences that go into the application the better and we hope to continue this with every update to come.”


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K N O W L E D G E S H A R I N G

NEW AND AUTHORITATIVE book that gives a unique overview of the key theories in metal cutting and how to apply them in practice will be pub-lished by Seco Tools. “This is my life

in metal cutting – a life’s work, in some ways,” says the author Jan-Eric Ståhl, Professor of production materials engineering at Lund University, Sweden. “Knowledge and understanding of metal cutting has, until now, been fragmented. My intention with this book was to bring these various strands together.”

The book, Metal Cutting, Theories and Models, is an important new addition to the Seco Technical Educa-tion Programmes (STEP), which equip professionals in the metal cutting industry with education and training in effi cient and effective cutting tool use.

“This new book will serve as a source of supple-mentary information,” says Patrick De Vos, Corpo-rate Technical Education Manager at Seco Tools. “Most of the models for describing metal cutting processes in Professor Ståhl’s book are based on ex-perimental work; at the same time, the practical use of these processes is discussed in detail.”

Nearly 100,000 people have taken part in STEP since it was launched seven years ago. “Metal cutting is not an exact science; you can do as much prepara-tion as you want on paper, but the reality will always be different,” says De Vos. “Our training prepares participants for the fact that reality will be different.”

Seco Tools’ education and training for metal cutting pro-fessionals is taken to the next level with a new book from a leading expert in the fi eld.

TEXT: David Wiles PHOTO: Svante Örnberg

Knowledge transfer by the book

A


Highly customisable, STEP training can either take place at customers’ facilities or at any Seco Tools’ technical centres around the world, and is a programme that is unique among tool suppliers.

“Seco Tools has more than 60 years of experience with metal cutting, and we want to share this experience with our customers,” says De Vos. “An important part of our marketing strategy has long been to not only supply our customers with tools and inserts, but also to educate, train and inform them about the best ways to use these tools. That is why we educate our customers in how to select the best tool, how to use the tool, and how to react when something is not working accord-ing to expectations. We do this in a really structured way, and that is what STEP is all about.”

PROFESSOR STÅHL’S BOOK and the new STEP programme that it accompanies – they share the same title – cater to professionals who want to take their knowledge to the next level. “Over the years we have seen more and more

questions from customers who are ready for the next step, to move up to a more academic level,” says De Vos. “They want to gain more in-depth knowledge about the metal cutting process so that they can become even more productive and cost effi cient.”

Professor Ståhl has collabo-rated with Seco Tools for several years, educating the company’s employees on metal cutting and in research and development.

He says his new book is more theoretical than practical. “It cov-ers mechanical forces, tempera-tures and tribological loads, and deals with how these phenomena interact,” says Ståhl. “It looks at how we can take care of these loads in the best way to make the best geometry and choose the best tool material.”

Using the example of a super-alloy in a steam or gas turbine, Professor Ståhl says there would be unique loads that must be handled by adjusting the best tool geometry and the appropriate tool material properties. “These are, of course, unique for every material group and machining case, but then of course we couldn’t make tools for every single application; we need to group them into ap-plication areas,” he says. “But the fundamental theory that provides understanding on how to do this work is described in my book.”

“...choose the best tool material.”

Professor Jan-Eric Ståhl, Lund University

AUTHOR: Jan-Eric Ståhl, Professor of production materials engineering at Lund UniversityAMBITION: To give a coherent description of metal cutting processes based on a strong physical foundationTARGET READERSHIP: Advanced users of cutting tools, teachers of metal cutting courses, Master and PhD students, plus anyone who wants to learn more about the foundations of metal cuttingLAUNCH: Late 2012.

The book: Metal Cutting, Theories and Models

Professor Jan-Eric Ståhl is currently working with oxygen-free copper to study surface integrity after machining. The goal is to fi nd optimal machining data and optimal tool surfacing.


ALUMALSA HAS more than 500 employees, and we work almost exclusively for the au-

tomotive industry, primarily producing turbos, brake cylinders and heat exchangers. We are currently pressure die casting a daily average of 50 tonnes of aluminium; we have weathered the economic crisis through export and the development of new projects.

To optimise existing mechanised processes, we work as a team. We identify the tools which will enable us to do the work, and look for the right suppliers. Then we verify that the sys-tems which we implement give the desired per-formance. As a team we agree on which tools we should test, and this is when Seco comes in, providing valuable wisdom in identifying the tools to carry out not only the specifi c purpose at hand but also similar production tasks.

We now have more control over the machin-ing processes; the tools and calibration systems are modern, allowing us to produce stable, higher quality parts, which will ultimately guarantee the company’s future.

Seeing all the inves-tigating and testing pay off when a process has improved substantially is greatly satisfying. The ful-fi lment also comes from

having in our hands the best technology in the market, and knowing that thanks to these tools we are a leading company in our fi eld.

DYNAMICDUO

At an aluminium parts manufacturer in Spain, Alfonso Moliner and Raúl Arnas work together to optimise production.

Team support Alumalsa’s No.1 supplier, Seco is currently

assisting Alfonso and Raúl with their efforts to improve performance through the customisation of Seco’s PCD tools. Great strides have been made in machining as a result of Seco’s technical support and knowledge of the PCD range.

ALFONSO MOLINERAge: 44 Occupation: Technical Mechanical EngineerBackground: “I started as a pro-grammer 13 years ago, gradually became involved in tool designing and am now in charge of the development and fi ne tuning of milling projects.”Family: Wife and a 17-day-old baby Outside interests: Dancing, singing and group hiking in the Pyrenees

RAÚL ARNASAge: 32 Occupation: Tool Maker Background: “I completed vocational train-ing in metal mechanics, and have been at Alumalsa for two years. I manage tool control, stocking and administration, and also work on research and development, innovating with Alfonso.”Family: Wife and two children, aged 4 and 1Outside interests: Water polo, spending time with the family

PHOTO: Diego VivancoO N T H E J O B


1

Rationalising standard metals“Steel producers are increasingly rationalising production to save money,

focusing on producing large quantities of standard products. Of course they produce specifi c products on request, but only in large quantities. Metal distributors are now playing a more signifi cant role because they provide the link between producers and end users/manufacturers.”

Aeronautics: A growth sector“This industry is rapidly evolving, driving manufacturers to develop new, high-performance materials requiring strict quality controls and in-depth specifi cations. Aircraft manufacturers and their sub-con-tractors need a wide range of mate-rials at the lowest possible price.”

Increased technical support“As skills and needs become more diverse, technical skills and expertise in materials are being lost. Few companies now have their own labs, so our customers rely on us for advice. Distributors are turning into partners.”

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Safety and recycling“By reducing waste production, companies can limit their environmental impact and make signifi -cant savings. It’s also important to make safety and productivity part of the same battle. Manag-ers must ensure safe working conditions whilst maintaining economic performance.”

Shorter production and delivery time“The current economic context means that producers, distributors and end users are all being driven by the same goals – to do things quickly and well. The Supply Chain Management concept is becoming increasingly popular in France for all kinds of companies seek-ing to reduce production cycle times to respond to the requirements of their end users.”

LAURENT DEBRAIX is the director of the Bourges regional offi ce of ThyssenKrupp Materials France, a specialist in distribution and processing services for steel and non-ferrous metal. He shares his take on what’s happening in the industry today.

TEXT Anna McQueen I LLUSTRATION Johan Nohr & Istockphoto

O U T L O O K GL OBA L T RENDS

TRENDS

2

IN METAL CUTTING

13edge [1 ·2013]


I N D U S T R Y M I N I N G

TEXT: Arnaldo Comin PHOTO: Luciano Munhoz and Eco Images

A Brazilian pump manufacturerneeded special tools to expand intothe mining sector.

PUMPINPPUNEW_Seco_Edge-1-2013_en-gb.indd 14 2012-10-23 16:21:56

NG IRONThe Carajas mountains in Brazil contain the largest and purest iron ore deposit in the world.

Iron in BrazilValue of 2011 exports: USD 41.8 billionAmount of 2011 shipments: 330 million tonnes Share in country’s foreign sales: 16%Reserves: 26 billion tonnes (7.8% of the world’s 270 billion tonnes)


edge [1·2013]16

RAZIL IS MADE UP of vast rain forests, a 9,000-kilometre long coastline, the biggest global food business after the US and the most developed industrial sector in Latin America. But it is also

made of iron. A lot of iron. The country is the second largest iron ore producer, behind Australia, and it is home to one of the “big three” giants of the world mining market, Vale S.A.

Despite of a slight decrease of sales infl uenced by lower Chinese demand, Brazil is expected to export 320 million tons of iron ore in 2012; the exported amount last year was worth 41 billion US dollars. The primary resource for steel, iron ore represents the most important item in the country’s foreign exchange balance sheet, and it supports thousands of industrial suppliers in the mining chain.

IMBIL, a pumping equipment manufacturer lo-cated in Itapira, an agro-industrial city 160 km away from São Paulo, is one of those suppliers. Founded in 1982 as family-run business with 950 employees, the company earns most of its income from ethanol and sugar producers, but it also sells pumping solutions for irrigation, petrochemical, pulp and paper, textile and sanitation fi rms.

IN OCTOBER 2010, IMBIL started to develop a special product line for mining operations, since the aver-age mineral extraction plant requires nearly 100 pumping systems. However, the extremely hard and abrasive conditions created by iron ore and bauxite presented a challenge, requiring a special, highly resistant nickel-hard alloy that is four times harder than conventional cast-iron components.

The main obstacle was not reaching the right al-loy specifi cations, but fi nding a way to machine the material. “Even using the best tools in the market, that were hard metal or ceramic, we did not succeed,

BBBBIMBIL’s pumps for the mining sec-tor are made of highly resistant nickel-hard alloy that is four times harder than conventional cast-iron components.



17edge [1·2013]

and the process turned out to be too distressing,” says Adalberto Larsen, IMBIL’s Production Engineer-ing Supervisor. One of the main problems was the high turnover of inserts used during the machining process.

Seco, a long-term supplier for the pumping equip-ment manufacturer, helped IMBIL reach a solution through IMBIL’s partnership with Seco’s local offi ce. Altair Sberga, Sales Exclusive Representative for Seco, recalls, “We saw an opportunity to develop a tailor-made solution that would fi t with their produc-tivity needs.” During the course of one year, special-ists in Brazil and Sweden designed and tested several alternatives for a customised PCBN insert tool suit-able for IMBIL’s needs.

The results exceeded expectations. “We simply would not make it without Seco’s PCBN solution,” says Larsen. For IMBIL, the most important achieve-ment was the increase in productivity. Manufactur-ing speed increased 90 percent, while machining costs fell 60 percent.

The customised and standard PCBN tools elimi-nated two steps in the machining process. Before,

“We simply would not make it without Seco’s PCBN solution”Adalberto Larsen, IMBIL’s Production Engineering Supervisor


18 edge [1·2013]

the nickel-hard alloy had to be processed twice in the blast furnace and pass twice through a turning application to reach the quality expected by IMBIL’s engineers. With a PCBN solution, the company could reduce the production stages to just one furnace and turning application sequence.

“Seco’s tools allowed us to reduce the delivery deadline for our clients, and the company took a decisive role to make this project successful,” says Vladislav Siqueira, IMBIL’s founder and Executive Director.

IMBIL’s bet on the mining industry is paying off: This segment has become the second biggest in rev-enues for the company since its production began full operation in November 2011.

The future of mining industry in Brazil continues to look bright. The country is expected to enjoy the world’s highest level of private investment in extrac-tion of phosphate and potassium for fertilizers until 2016. Brazil is also considered to be a major source for rare earths, expensive and essential elements necessary for high-technology products such as smartphones and electric vehicles. So as the mining industry’s expectations become reality, it looks to be a great future for IMBIL, too.


LOCATION: Itapira, São Paulo State, BrazilEMPLOYEES: 950PRODUCTS: Pumping equipment for applications in agro-industrial, irrigation, petrochemical, pulp and paper, textile and sanitation facilitiesMAIN MARKETS: Ethanol, sugar cane and mining operationsRELATIONSHIP WITH SECO: Seco is a long-term tool supplier for most of IMBIL’s product lines. Solutions include Crownloc and Performax drills, Double Octomill and Square 6 mills, several milling solutions for cast-iron, steel, stainless steel and nickel-hard alloys, MDT turning and EPB fastening tools.

IMBIL (Indústria e Manutenção de Bombas ITA Ltda.)

With a PCBN solution, IMBIL could reduce the production stages to just one furnace and turning application sequence.


edge [1·2013] 19

Patrick de Vos, Seco’s Corporate Technical Education Manager, explains why stainless steels deserve their own tool and cutting data selection process.

STAINLESS STEELS are common-ly used in severe environments and applications that require corrosion resistance or the ability to maintain mechanical strength at elevated temperatures. But too often, they are lumped together with ‘regular’ steels in terms of their machinability.

What are stainless steels? Steels are said to be stainless when they are highly resistant to corrosion. This quality is achieved by dis-solving suffi cient chromium in the iron (a concentration of at least 10.5%) to produce a coherent, adherent and regenerating chro-mium oxide protective fi lm on the surface. Most stainless steels are based on the Fe-Cr-C and Fe-Cr-Ni-C systems, but other alloying elements are also important.

A huge variety of alloys are available. On the basis of the pre-dominant phase making up the microstructure, stainless steels can be classifi ed into fi ve main categories: austenitic, ferritic, du-

I N S I G H T S T A I N L E S S S T E E L S

plex, martensitic and PH (precipi-tation hardening) stainless steels.

If we compare austenitic stain-less steels to 42CrMo4 (alloy steel that is often used as a reference material for machinability indexing), we notice interesting differences:

Stainless steels show higher adhesion (and ductility) ten-dency than steel. This means that the materials used to cut stainless steels must be tougher and their coatings must be of the “anti-ad-hesion” type. The micro-geometry of the cutting edge is important, as it can compensate for the stainless steel’s high ductility and assure good chip formation. Compared to ‘regular’ steel, cutting speeds should be increased to compen-sate for high adhesion tendency, and special attention should be given to micro-chipping (due to build-up at the edge), notch wear and fl aking of the coating.

Stainless steels also show higher strain hardening tendency, a material property whose natural consequences are increased notch wear and chipping of the cutting edge. The correct micro-geometry of the cutting edge can compensate for this, as sharper edges reduce strain harden-ing during the cutting process. Depths of cut need to be continu-ously changed – to spread the risk for too much notch wear from cutting through a strain hardened

layer – and feeds should be as high as possible.

Stainless steels have lower thermal conductivity, which means that less heat will be evacu-ated with the chips. More heat will go to the cutting edge, resulting in higher temperatures, so the hot hardness of the cutting material is important. Cutting speeds and feeds should be selected very care-fully to limit heat generation and have maximum heat absorption in the chips. Plastic deformation is a typical tool wear mechanism for stainless steels.

The hardness of stainless steels is comparable to steel. Cut-ting forces are on the same level, so there is no need to take special precautions for cutting force com-pensation, and depths of cut and feeds do not need to be limited compared to steel applications.

Stainless steels show higher abrasiveness, which causes rapid crater wear. With increased abrasion resistance in the coating, tools get higher tool utilization (metal removal rate per unit of tool life).

Clearly, the machinability of stainless steels should be defi ned separately from the one for steel. Stainless steels deserve their own tool selection process, and cutting conditions should be selected ac-cordingly.

Patrick de Vos,[email protected]

Make stainless painless

Adhesion

AbrasivenessStrain hardening

Low thermal conductivityHardness

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

42CrMo4Austenitic SS

LEARN MORE in Seco’s STEP education programmes


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P O R T R A I T C O R P O R AT E V O L U N T E E R S

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS that began brewing in 2007 sent shudders through world fi nancial markets and governments. Stocks fell, large fi nancial institutions collapsed and

governments throughout the world had to bail out their too-big-to-fail banks.

In the United States, no state was hit harder and longer than Michigan, the historic birth-place of the auto industry. In late 2007, when the average unemployment rate in the US was 4.6 percent, Michigan’s stood at 7.4. As car sales slowed to a crawl, Michigan workers suffered drastic layoffs, until by the summer of 2009 the offi cial unemployment rate stood at more than 14 percent and close to 30 percent for workers in Detroit – the city’s worst unemployment rate since 1982.

In late 2009 some employees at Seco NAFTA Headquarters in Troy, Michigan, asked them-selves how they could help their struggling neighbours, and the Corporate Volunteer Pro-gram (CVP) was born. Based on a suggestion made to the Culture Improvement Team, which had been formed in 2006 to fi nd ways to foster employee ownership of the corporate culture, CVP was the brainchild of three Seco Troy em-ployees: Media and Design Specialist Amanda Childress, Pricing Analyst Mary Sheridan and Manager of Distributor Development Ron Bawol, now retired.

At Seco’s NAFTA headquarters in Michigan, USA, corporate charitable donations include employee work hours.TEXT AND PHOTOS: Dwight Cendrowski

CVP is simple in design, but dramatic in effect. Employees are offered 16 paid hours each year to volunteer for an organisation of their choice. Childress says, “We wanted a way to participate in philanthropy without just signing a corporate check. Our way of donating to the community would be by giving away employees’ time.” And while it took time to build, the programme really took off by 2010; today about 85 percent of the employees in Michigan participate.

It’s not a top-down programme. Both Childress and Sheridan stress that the key to success has been employees’ initiative and ownership of the policy. “If there’s something near and dear to you, own it, bring it in, do it and get everyone else involved,” says Childress.

THE LIST OF GROUPS that receive aid includes the Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, March of Dimes, and many smaller groups and organisations. Anouck White, a Customer Ser-vice Representative, is especially interested in health and wellness; she often takes the lead in organising events that not only help those in need, but also improve employee fi tness. “I went through a rough time a couple years ago when my husband got really sick,” she explains. “I’m from France and don’t have family here, so I turned to friends. I realised that everyone needs help sometimes. Now that we’re getting back on our feet, it’s important for me to help other

on the clockVolunteering


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Do your homework on potential recipient organisations. You want non-profi ts with low overhead, so that the bulk of the money goes directly to those in need.

Communication to your employees is key. Keep them updated and involved, and encour-age them to recruit friends and family.

Make it fun. Everyone is busy and working hard, so keep volun-teer activities and wellness pro-grams as enjoyable as possible.

Anouck White, left; Amanda Childress, rear; Mary Sheridan, Pricing Analyst, right, in front of wall mural in Seco headquarters, Troy, Michigan, symbolising the spirit of volunteer-ism and signed by 400 Seco employees.

TIPS FOR SETTING UP YOUR COMPANY’S VOLUNTEER PROGRAMME

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16 hours of paid volunteer time per employee per year Corporate-sponsored events and activities of an employee’s choosing: walk-a-thons, serving meals at a soup kitchen, environmental clean-up, book and bake sales, donating and delivering clothing to families and helping build low-income housing. Religious or political events are not allowed

Donations to the programme total USD 12,000 in cash and goods per year.Volunteers have donated 150 hours of their time per year, or about USD 4,000 in man hours.

The Corporate Volunteer Program (CVP)


P O R T R A I T C O R P O R AT E V O L U N T E E R S

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people.” White points to the example of Relay for Life, a programme in which employees gather pledged donations and walk for 24 hours. The re-lay in June raised USD 2,000 for cancer research.

A FAVOURITE BENEFICIARY of the programme is a social service agency called the Lighthouse of Oakland County, which provides services to struggling families, from emergency food aid and medical help to job training and transporta-tion. Besides providing donated food, personal care products and money, Seco also supplies volunteers for a unique Lighthouse housing assis-tance programme. Employees spend time prepar-ing apartments for mothers and their children, doing the cleaning and painting, then bringing in furniture. “It’s inspiring to see the passion and generosity people bring,” says Childress.

Employees have found other inventive ways to contribute to the programme. There is a regular ‘Jean Day’, during which employees can pay one dollar to wear more casual clothing to work. The sales force gathers small toiletries, shampoo and toothbrushes for needy families. Manage-ment hosts charity golf tournaments. And any department can sponsor an employee barbecue to build camaraderie and raise money. For dis-asters farther from home, such as the tsunami that devastated Japan in 2011, Seco has matched employee donations, doubling the aid collected. “The support we get from upper management is unbelievable,” says Sheridan. At times the Troy offi ce partners with Seco’s manufacturing facil-ity in Lenoir City, Tennessee, for greater impact.

AT SECO THERE’S GREAT pride in CVP, which is fairly unique among corporate programmes in its reach and effectiveness. Childress says that for many of the employees, “It’s moving to hear about the good work Seco does. It’s important for employees to feel, ‘I’m part of something bigger than just fi ling these papers each day.’”

Amanda Childress of Seco, left, Anouck White of Seco, right, and Priscilla Perkins, Chief Development Offi cer of Lighthouse, with a bucket of donated items.

If there’s something near and dear to you, own it, bring it in, do it and get everyone else involved.”


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S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y

The company’s carbon emis-sions trigger contributions to the Green Fund for environ-mental investments.

THROUGH ITS GREEN FUND, Seco sets aside money related to the amount of CO2 generated by business trips and the transport of products. The collected money is then used for various environ-mental investments.

“Transport to and from our distribution centres to customers has a big impact in terms of CO2, so we are optimising transport solutions,” says Gunnar Lobell, Global Environmental Coor-dinator. “We constantly analyse distribution and

logistics systems. The locations of distribution centres and the optimisation of stocked products minimise the use of air transport, while still maintaining fast deliveries. Business trips are minimised by using more video conferencing.”

Of course, not all travel and transport can be eliminated, which is where the Green Fund comes in. For every tonne of CO2 generated through transport or business travel, Seco depos-its SEK 400 into the fund. In 2012, investments will total about SEK 3.5 million.

So far, the money has gone to two investments in India and one in the UK.

In India, the Green Fund is helping to rebuild an electrical feed system for more reliable elec-tricity generation to Seco’s plant. This will help reduce the need for diesel-generated electricity and acid batteries. “With a more stable fl ow of electricity, we can remove our diesel generators and cut down CO2 by 189 tonnes per year,” says Lobell. Green Fund money will also be invested in a new water treatment plant, helping allevi-ate the company’s dependence on India’s limited water resources by 90,000 litres of water a year.

In the UK, Seco is building a new plant equipped with solar panels, which will produce 39 MWh of electricity per year and reducing CO2 emissions by 21 tonnes annually. The panels will feed any surplus electricity to the public grid.

“The aim is to make the Green Fund a long-term activity,” says Lobell. “As long as we have emissions from products and trips, we will con-tinue to set aside money to be used with Green Fund thinking.”

The Green Fund, which offi cially started in 2012, is just one part of Seco’s efforts to compensate for any negative environmen-tal impact its opera-tions or activities might have. The com-pany has been ISO 14000-certifi ed since 2006 and has also set up a number of objectives to reduce its environmental impact, such as mini-mising waste, making waste recyclable and buying back used inserts and solid tools from customers for recycling.

TEXT: Cari Simmons PHOTO: Prince Hat/

Agent Molly & CoTAX

CARBONSECO’S

Less impact


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I N B R I E F

THE 2011 LAUNCH OF TURBO 10 for square shoulder milling is now followed by an insert range expansion that includes both direct pressed and ground insert alternatives. Direct pressed inserts get a larger radii range from 0.4- to 3.1-millimetre corner radii. The expansion of the ground insert range includes geometries for materials that are diffi cult to machine, such as aluminium, stainless steels, titanium alloys and other alloyed materials. The ground insert alternatives are available with radii ranging from 0.4 to 3.1 millimetre corner radii.

Product: Availability: More information:

Turbo 10 geometry expansion NOW www.secotools.com/turbo10

Turbo 10 helical cutters NOW www.secotools.com/turbo10/helical

Minimaster Plus additions NOW www.secotools.com/minimasterplus

335.25 NOW www.secotools.com/335_25

Highfeed 4 NOW www.secotools.com/highfeed

Square 6-08 cassette range Dimension Ø160 – 315mm addition

NOW www.secotools.com/square6

MK2050 NOW www.secotools.com/mk2050

MK2050 IS A NEW INSERT grade specially designed for milling cast irons with varying cutting data in both automotive (for engine blocks and cylinder heads, for example) and general engi-neering applications. With cooling it is suitable for all types of cast irons, and without cooling for nodular cast irons. Replacing MK2000 and – to some extent – MK3000, MK2050 has a newly developed high-hardness substrate for even and controlled wear, which means long tool life and high application security.

Ready to wear

MILLINGTURBO 10 GAINS GROUND

JABRO

THREADINGProduct: Availability: More information:

Seco-Capto Snap-Tap Holders

NOW www.secotools.com/seco-capto


Jabro HPM additions JHP770 NOW www.secotools.com/jhp770

Jabro Composites additions NOW www.secotools.com/jabro/composites

Jabro-Solid² Inch additions NOW www.secotools.com/jabrosolid2

Jabro HPM Inch additions NOW www.secotools.com/jabro/hpm

: More information:


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TURBO 10 HAS BEEN ADDED to Seco’s range of high-performance helical cutters, offering high feeds, large depth of cut and high metal removal rates in contouring and profi ling applications. It can be used for slotting, pocket-ing and ramping as well as circular and helical milling.

Helical Turbo 10 has better depth of cut capabilities than those of conventional square shoulder mills. The tool features insert pockets with improved precision and axial support, to minimise mismatch between insert levels. Inserts come in XOMX10T3 and XOEX10T3 versions with geometries giving low cutting forces. Helical Turbo 10 is available with Com-bimaster, Arbor, Seco-Capto, Weldon and Seco Weldon mounting systems.

GO HELICAL


I N B R I E F


CBN10/100 Replacement - Uncoated Low CBN Range

NOW www.secotools.com/cbn100

Chipbreaker PCBN NOW www.secotools.com/pcbn

ADVANCEDMATERIALS


Crownloc Plus (14.00-17.99) NOW www.secotools.com/crownlocplus

Crownloc Plus 8xD NOW www.secotools.com/crownlocplus

Crownloc Plus Chamfer Module

NOW www.secotools.com/crownlocplus

Composite Machining – PCD Tools Step #2

NOW www.secotools.com/feedmax/pcd

New Jumbo Bridge Bars A731S001 and 002

NOW www.secotools.com/jumbobridgebar

SD602 Modular drill head – adjustable

NOW www.secotools.com/SD602

Nanofi x Short Range – Custom Design

NOW www.secotools.com/nanofi x

Axiabore with Seco-Capto connection

NOW www.secotools.com/axiabore

HOLEMAKING

Tougher turningCBN010 IS A NEW uncoated Polycrystalline Cubic Boron Nitride (PCBN) grade mainly made for turning in hardened steels. It replaces CBN10 and CBN100 and has a more uniform microstructure with greater resistance to edge chipping. This has been achieved by using newly developed manufacturing methods.

Compared to its predecessors, CBN010 is tougher and has more wear resistance, resulting in increased reliability and tool life predictability. It is mainly intended for fi nishing and is available in three different insert formats: tip, solid and full-face, all including a number of wiper options.

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TURNINGProduct: Availability: More information:

X4 – 4 Cutting Edges NOW www.secotools.com/x4

TGK1500 – Cast Iron Grade MDT

NOW www.secotools.com/tgk1500

Heavy Machining Cassettes NOW www.secotools.com/heavymachining

M6 Chipbreaker ISO NOW www.secotools.com/m6


High Precision Collet chucks EPB-5672

NOW www.secotools.com/epb5672

Reinforced HSK-A Shrinkfi t Holders Type 5600

NOW www.secotools.com/monobloc

Easyshrink 20: Packs No1;2;3 replacing individual modules

NOW www.secotools.com/easyshrink20

TOOLING

Three-micron collet chuck

EPB-5672 is a new collet chuck system with run-out reduced to only three microns at

maximum. It offers two to three times the transmit-table torque of existing collet chuck models. Tools are fastened by tightening the nut with a dedicated torque

roller wrench. Due to its cylindrical shape without any asymmetrical parts, and its precision balancing, EPB-5672 is suitable for high-speed machining.

A chuck can be used with collets of different clamping diameters, for tool shank diam-

eters from 1 to 20 millimetres.

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POWERROLLS-ROYCE is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, in the air and at sea , with a strong position in many global markets. Engines from Rolls-Royce provide electric-ity for offshore oil platforms all year round and in every condition imaginable.

8,000 kW 320x400

Cutting machining time in half

750rpm

The V12 and V16 engines can provide power from 3,000 to 8,000 kW.

All engines have a bore of 320 mm with a 400 mm stroke.

All engines can deliver 500 kW per cylinder at

750 rpm.

02863169 ST20126379 GB

SUGGESTIONS? Do you use Seco tools to make a compelling product? Contact us at [email protected].

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Rolls-Royce Bergen Engines uses Seco’s High Feed Milling tool R220.21-8208-R160.12C for the rough machining of its engine blocks. Machining time for leveling the top and cylinder surfaces has been cut practically in half using High Feed Milling. The company also uses a range of hole making tools, drills and boring heads supplied by Seco.

PLATFORM


Documents

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