ITC To Promote Hole & Threadmaking Expertise at MACH 2014

10 January 2014

AT MACH 2014 on Stand 5261 in Hall 5, Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) will be giving a MACH debut to a range of new products from its holemaking and threading lines. The new product lines that have now been introduced to the marketplace in the Tamworth company's new Slimline catalogue will be a major focus point of the company’s exhibition stand.

As well as its established cutting tool solutions, ITC will once again highlight the benefits of the Widia range of solid carbide and HSS endmills in the Slimline catalogue. Of particular prominence in 2014 will be the holemaking and threading applications, a side of the ITC business that has evolved and grown significantly over the last 12 months.

New products from this stable will include the new VariDrill range of solid carbide drills available in 3XD, 5XD and 8XD. With an advanced point geometry design that offers the ultimate solution in multi-purpose drilling, the VariDrill is ideal for use on a variety of materials with extended tool life.

The VariDrill has delivered exceptional results in the marketplace since its recent introduction and this is down to the combination of a margin-less geometry design that evenly distributes cutting forces and a core design that promotes free chip flow and evacuation. This stabilises the cutting forces to reduce friction, heat, chip jamming and scratching. This all results in improved hole quality and finish that is far beyond the realms of competitor drills. With an extremely precise shank to reduce run-out and the offer of through coolant options, the VariDrill is the complete high performance drill for all material types in all industry sectors.

Complementing the VariDrill at MACH 2014 will be the new VariTap range that is fresh from its world premiere at EMO in September. The new VariTap has been created to deliver thread making performance that can match the astounding results achieved by the VariMill and VariDrill products from Widia.

The VariTap series of high performance taps incorporate an optimised geometry to deliver exceptional performance levels on a vast selection of ductile materials. The multi-purpose tapping line is ideal for end users and general machine shops threading materials that include carbon and alloy steels, stainless steels, ductile iron and cast aluminium. This versatility drastically cuts inventory requirements and costs for the customer. Whilst offering a remarkable level of diversity, the capability of the high-vanadium HSS-E taps ensures the customer obtains the optimal threading performance on its various material types with its exceptional wear resistance that extends tool life.

Like other offerings from the ‘Vari’ stable of Widia products, the VariTap has a unique geometry design that notes a spiral point. This provides a low tapping torque that rapidly pushes chips ahead of the tap in ‘through hole’ applications.

With regard to blind holes, the VariTap series offers geometries that demonstrate rapid swarf evacuation through the polished flutes. This spiral flute geometry reduces the ‘nesting’ requirement with continuous chip flow that further reduces stress on the tap to deliver improved thread finish and extended tool life. The extended tool life is also a result of the propriety PVD coating that is applied in-house. This PVD coating supports the reduction of tapping torque and improves wear resistance.

The VariTap is available in multiple tap dimensions and geometries with ANSI, DIN length/ANSI shank, DIN 371 and 376 and UNJC/UNJF all catered for. The various VariTap ranges are available with semi-bottoming chamfers, Form B plug chamfer, Form C semi-bottoming chamfers and spiral point plug chamfers. The launch of the new VariTap will be a welcome addition to the ITC stable and will undoubtedly prove a resounding success at MACH 2014.

AT MACH 2014 ITC will also be highlighting its ability to manufacture specialised tooling solutions at short lead times from its UK manufacturing facility, something beyond the scope of alternate cutting tool vendors. While the majority of cutting tool manufacturers import specialised products from abroad with lengthy lead-times; a key USP for ITC is having a UK based technical team that can conduct bespoke projects and manufacture solutions at its Midlands based headquarters. This technical engineering team will be present at the event to demonstrate how the Tamworth manufacturer can improve productivity, tool life and component quality whilst reducing tooling costs, cycle times and inventory requirements.