Press Releases

SGS take cutting tool results to the wall with new S-CARB APR and APF

Having built an enviable global reputation within industry sectors where cutting tool performance and reliability are the only measures that matter the new S-CARB APR range of three-flute roughing and S-CARB APF four-flute finishing end mills, for machining aluminium, non-ferrous, and non-metallic materials, from SGS Carbide Tool (UK) Ltd offer exceptional machining performance benefits. The new tools will be exhibited at MACH 2012 (Hall 4, Stand 4109).
Internal Sales Manager, Gerry Cook, explains: “Ideally suited to machining aircraft grade aluminium, as well as non-ferrous and non-metallic materials, the S-CARB APR and APF range of three- and four-flute end mills have been designed and developed with all the necessary machining process parameters in mind.”

The S-CARB APR roughing tool features three feed holes for spiral through tool coolant supply, and a high pressure coolant supply (50 to 70 bar) aids chip evacuation at the elevated material removal rates achieved. Of course, swarf evacuation is a key factor given that aluminium expands by a factor of 10 when machined.
In actual customer roughing trials on aerospace components, SGS improved the machining strategy with power roughing and material removal rates were significantly increased. Initially, the spindle speed was increased from 16,000 rpm to 27,000. This was followed by an increase in the cutting feedrate from 7,252 mm/min up to 15, 390 mm/min with full tool engagement, while the machining process remained quiet. In fact, an S-CARB APR tool will halve existing roughing cycle times, and a 25 mm diameter SGS cutter can match the material removal rates of a 50 mm diameter indexable router at 5,000 cc/min.
Designed for optimum finishing of thin walled components the S-CARB APF high efficiency four-flute end mill has twin feed through tool coolant supply, and is equipped with three-stage chatter suppression to remove any negative harmonic influence on the workpiece or the cutting tool. Stage one uses unequal flute spacing to disrupt the rhythmic pattern created by the cutting edge of the typical end mill. The company’s patented unequal helix design alters the angle at which each cutting edge enters and exits the raw material, eliminating harmonics. The final stage is provided by a variable rake geometry which changes the size and shape of the chip created and takes chatter suppression to a whole new level.
The result of the complex geometrical forms used to create this range of tools is the quietest, most stable milling conditions currently available. One 5-axis component cutting trial on Series 7000 grade aluminium featured pockets and ribs, with walls just 2 mm thick and 40 mm high. The walls were finish machined in one pass without water-lining and a mirror surface finish was achieved in less than 10 per cent of the cycle time being achieved by competitors tooling.
“Around the world, leading companies involved in the motorsport, medical and aerospace industry sectors look to SGS for solutions. Not only are they machining difficult materials, but they also need performance levels that will keep them profitable, retain tight control on geometric form and provide an exceptional surface finish. The new S-CARB APR and APF ranges have been developed to meet and even exceed these demands, and the benefits they offer are now available to general engineering companies looking for more from their cutting tools,” concludes Gerry Cook.