Unique milling concept with substantial potential for savings

CERATIZIT develops the new MaxiMill HPC 12 milling cutter with an international team

CERATIZIT S. A., Mamer, Luxembourg (headquarters), February 2008.
With its segment strategy in the business unit end-users of the cutting tool division, the carbide expert CERATIZIT is particularly successful as the company counts on segment-specific and customer-specific products as well as on tailor-made solutions. In this way the global player in the field of advanced carbide solutions also proves its competence in niche markets. International cooperation within the group plays an important role here. An international team developed a unique milling concept for the automotive industry, namely the aluminium cutter MaxiMill HPC 12.

A complete tooling concept in only six months
The starting point of the project was a meeting at an automotive customer’s in July 2003. CERATIZIT made an offer to the production manager to deliver new tools which would meet the increased requirements within only six months. An extremely ambitious deadline chosen by CERATIZIT itself. The CERATIZIT project team had an additional goal: a new flexible tooling concept should be developed which would be suitable for the majority of applications in aluminium milling for the automotive industry.

This development project brought the MaxiMill HPC12 concept into being. The idea was to develop a milling concept where the number of teeth, the form of the cutter body, the coolant, the cutting edge geometry, the rake angles and the cutting materials (CBN, PCD) could be modified.  

[Info box]
MaxiMill HPC 12 – the properties

• Low cutting forces thanks to positive rake angles
  
  • Reduced deformation of the components
  • Reduced built-up edge
  • Increased tool life
• Tool body made of steel
  
  • Precise repeatability during insert change
  • Very high stability and longer tool life
  • Options: bimetallic version (steel ring and aluminium core).
• High speed – high performance
  
  • Reduced work piece heating
  • Maximum productivity
  • Optimised design of tool and insert seat
• Axial fine adjustment
  
  • Short setting time through easy handling
  • Fine adjustment = 0.1 mm

HPC 12 allows savings up to 30 %!
The automotive industry in particular places high demands on their tools. The processes in this field must not only be quick and stable, they also need to be highly consistent and predictable. Furthermore, in most of the cases productivity has also to be improved. In a test with an AHPC 100R12.12 milling cutter MaxiMill HPC 12 showed its abilities and its saving potential at a CERATIZIT customer's who produces gear box cases made of aluminium AS7.  

Applying the HPC 12 milling cutter the CERATIZIT customer was able to reduce the machining time by 11.3 seconds (at the beginning the machining time amounted to 30.5 seconds and was reduced to 19.2 seconds thanks to MaxiMill HPC 12). A surface quality of Rmax < 6µ – was requested, and CERATIZIT even obtained 4.42µ. The test is also very significant for its extreme cutting data:

• vc=4,712 m /min
• n=15,000 rev./min
• f=25,200 mm/min
• fz=0.14mm

These excellent results can be attained with the HPC 12 milling cutter thanks to its stability and its simple and precise fine adjustment.

International cooperation – voices of the CERATIZIT group:
The idea and the drawing for the HPC 12 concept come from France. The project was finally concentrated at the automotive segment at CERATIZIT Reutte, Austria. Jürgen Duwe from the development department in the BU end-users: “It was one of the first projects where employees of several sites were involved. Despite different languages and cultures the project was a resounding success. We got to know each other better and are now in closer contact. This will definitely be an advantage for future projects.”

“I consider the tooling system HPC 12 a real ‘door opener’ for companies of the automotive industry,” says Tinus Zuetenhorst, sales manager of CERATIZIT Nederland. “Ever since we presented this tool we have had a much stronger presence and actively invited to carry out tests. We have already been successful at three companies with the tool – this looks very promising!”

Gonzalo Artaega, sales representative at CERATIZIT Ibérica about the HPC milling system: “This solution has enabled us to offer our customer Fasa Renault Valladolid an efficient and economic tool which is better than the competitors’ tools. Above all, the low weight, the long tool life and the good surface quality produced by this milling cutter have convinced our customers.”

The carbide expert CERATIZIT is synonymous with “hard material matters” CERATIZIT S. A. – the company resulting from the merger between CERAMETAL and Plansee Tizit in 2002 – is a pioneer and global player in sophisticated hard material solutions. The company operates from Mamer, Luxembourg. In selected industrial sectors the 50% subsidiary of the Plansee group is the world market leader in unique and consistently innovative hard material products for wear protection and cutting tools. In the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, oil industry, medical systems, electronics as well as mould and die making customers benefit from this fact. 400 active patents are owned by CERATIZIT worldwide. In the year 2006 the company had a sales volume of 550 mill. euros and 4000 employees.