ITC Extends Holemaking Portfolio with WIDIA Top Drill 45X

12 January 2019

Extending one of the UK’s most extensive drilling portfolio’s, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) is now introducing the latest addition to the renowned WIDIA Top Drill drilling platform. The new WIDIA TDS 45X drilling line offers improved speed, tool life and performance when machining stainless steels and super alloys.

Users of WIDIA’s TDS-series drilling solution will be familiar with its superb performance in steel, cast iron and non-ferrous alloys. Now, those end users that routinely drill stainless steel and super alloys can also enjoy the performance benefits of the TDS drills. The new TDS45X takes proven holemaking technology and kicks it one step further, drastically reducing cycle times and extending tool life in the aerospace, medical, motorsport and oil and gas sectors that inherently machine challenging materials.

Patrizio Cresta, the WIDIA Manager for the Holemaking Products Portfolio says: “the TDS line was already designed for customers facing difficult cutting conditions. Inclined exits and entries, unstable setups, intersecting holes are just a few examples where TDS shines. As a result, the TDS offers the lowest cost per part and highest metal remove rates in its class.”

Those attributes and more are also found in the new TDS45X, which has been designed specifically for high-temperature alloys and austenitic stainless steel. Setting new standards in holemaking, the new TDS45X has an improved gash design that uses a continuously increasing rake angle together with optimised coolant holes and straight cutting edges. The drills also incorporate double margins that increase tool stability, while the highly polished flute, steep core and small cross-section reduce friction and cutting forces. Furthermore, this provides drastically improved chip evacuation and more predictable processes.

The patented TDS45X point means there’s no need for a pilot hole and it also permits speeds and feeds to be increased while cutting forces are reduced. The new TDS45X also uses a fine-grained carbide substrate for greater toughness that reduces the risk of fracture. When combining this with a h6 high-precision shank, the TDS45X is perfect for shrink-fit toolholders to generate better hole quality.

The “X” identifies the flute length with TDS451 at 3xD, TDS452 at 5xD and TDS453 at 8xD length to diameter ratios. All drills are available in diameters ranging from 3.0 to 20mm and all have through the tool coolant, a 140°point geometry and a proprietary PVD AlTiN coating. The coating is a large part of TDS45’s success as WIDIA’s WM15PD provides extreme hardness even under the elevated cutting temperatures common with high-strength chromium-nickel alloys.