NTK Takes Aerospace Turning Into the Stratosphere

12 May 2015

In the cutting tool arena, technological advances are frequent but paradigm shifts in product development are rare, and that is why the new Bidemics range of insert grades from NTK are truly groundbreaking. The ceramic tooling specialist has now launched its new line of Bidemic JX1 insert grades for the semi-finishing, finishing and profiling operations on aerospace materials.

The new JX1 grade can run at speeds beyond 15 times faster than that of high-end carbide grades, so the productivity benefits are glaringly obvious. Capable of running at a surface speed in the region of 500m/min, the new JX1 series also provides tool life and surface finishes beyond the realms of whisker ceramic grades whilst cutting speeds can be more than doubled.

Developed specifically for turning operations on heat resistant alloys that are commonly used in the aerospace, oil & gas and motorsport industries, the JX1 grade has been designed to run at cutting speeds from 180 to 500m/min with a depth of cut from 0.3 to 3mm. This remarkable speed now sees the new JX1 grade run at operational speeds that are even faster than whisker ceramics on roughing to semi finishing operations.

From a composition perspective, the JX1 breaks the boundaries of tool life, cutting speed and productivity rates due to its exceptional hardness level and superior thermal conductivity. Additionally, the JX1 has unparalleled strength when compared to whisker ceramics. This delivers astounding tool life increases when operated at typical whisker ceramic speeds and feeds. Capable of running more than double the speeds and feeds of whisker ceramic also enables the chips to break with greater ease, providing more efficient swarf removal.

The unique physical properties of the JX1 grade permits machining of newer material compositions such as high nickel and cobalt alloys and powdered metallurgy alloys that are increasingly commonplace in the aerospace sector. Furthermore, the composition of the JX1 series makes it an 'all-rounder' with regard to difficult materials, as it can also be applied to inconel, rene, 718 and waspalloy with impressive results.
The JX1 significantly enhances performance whilst reducing notching and flank wear when running at extremely high machining speeds. This exciting new Bidemic line of inserts are available with a number of sizes and geometries to correspond with existing toolholders in the NTK catalogue.