Productivity and cost-effectiveness with indexable insert milling cutters NeoMill

Wie schließt ein Werkzeughersteller am geschicktesten eine Lücke in seinem Portfolio? MAPAL hat durch seine Nähe zum Kunden vielfältige Fräsprozesse genauer unter die Lupe genommen. Und für diese Prozesse gezielt Fräswerkzeuge entwickelt, die technologisch höchsten Anforderungen entsprachen. Beim Programmstart 2018 bildeten sie den Grundstein der Standardfräserbaureihe NeoMill, die heute ein komplettes Portfolio für alle Bearbeitungssituationen im Schrupp- und Semi-Finish-Bereich darstellt. Mit innovativen CVD- und PVD-Beschichtungen ist man so in der Lage, sich optimal auf die Situation vor Ort beim Kunden einzustellen.

„Aus Sonderwerkzeugen wurden Standardwerkzeuge, die höchste Produktivität und Wirtschaftlichkeit bieten“, beschreibt Heiko Rup, Produktmanager für Werkzeuge mit Wendeschneidplatten, das Vorgehen. Anwendungsbeispiele belegen, dass bauteilunabhängig in Gusseisen, Stahl, rostfreien Stählen und hitzebeständigem Stahlguss die Kosten pro Bauteil im Vergleich mit Standardwerkzeugen anderer Hersteller um 20 bis 50 Prozent gesenkt werden konnten. 
 

Für alle Fräser bietet MAPAL die Wendeschneidplatten jeweils in einer positiven und einer negativen Ausführung an. Hinzu kommen Schneiden mit Wiper-Anteil, die selbst ohne Einstellung gute Oberflächenqualitäten erreichen.

The negative inserts have no clearance angle and can thus also be furnished with cutting edges on the contact surface. As a result, using the same basic shape, negative inserts have twice the number of cutting edges compared to their positive counterparts. This makes the negative inserts particularly cost-effective in combination with the long tool life of MAPAL‘s indexable inserts. During development, the machining specialists attached great importance to the fact that the negative indexable inserts have an extremely positive cut due to the latest pressing technology. This makes it easy for them to cut at low cutting depths, and the effective rake angles are comparable to positive indexable inserts.

In a specific application case, MAPAL was able to reduce the costs per part by 64 percent for a customer working on the series production of pump housings by using the NeoMill shoulder milling cutter with eight indexable inserts, which was also helped by the lower cutting edge wear. Another user has also benefited from this in its housing production. With the new face milling cutter, it achieved a 112 percent longer tool life, which led to 60 percent lower costs. 

The positive inserts are recommended for vibration-prone parts or high-alloy steels: „For particularly difficult applications and high demands on process reliability and cycle time at the same time, the positive inserts are to be recommended because they generate lower cutting forces“, explains Heiko Rup.
 

Milling operations are generally susceptible to vibrations, with results in overstressing of the tool and the machine, as well as in greater noise generation. As a result, users often reduce the cutting parameters and accept long machining times. Even with increased requirements or particularly difficult machining operations, the potential machining values are often not utilised. This is where MAPAL‘s vibration dampers can make a real difference. Available in standard lengths or customised designs, they ensure quiet and stable machining through vibration dampening. Increased material removal rates of up to 50 percent and up to 60 percent better surface finishes are measurable advantages. In addition, the overall process reliability is increased, as cutting edge chipping is avoided.

MAPAL is certainly not the only company on the market with radial milling cutters, and yet the company was able to increase its sales of this product group during the coronavirus pandemic. According to Heiko Rup, the bestsellers in the range are face milling cutters with indexable inserts with 16 cutting edges and shoulder milling cutters with negative indexable inserts with four or eight cutting edges, which can rarely be found in the product portfolio of any other supplier. 

In 2021, MAPAL is broadening its NeoMill range even further by adding chip guiding stages especially for stainless materials and heat-resistant cast steel materials, as well as additional radii.