Rainford Offers The Solution For Hard Machining

4 June 2015

Building upon the success of the Union Tool range of hard milling tools, Rainford Precision is now delighted to announce the arrival of a new range of ball nosed end mills from Union Tool. The new UDCBF and UDCLBF have been added to the UDC range for processing tungsten carbides, ceramics, zirconium, silicon carbide and nitride materials up to a hardness of 90HRA (up to 80HRc).

Capable of cutting materials in their hard or fired state, Rainford Precision has undoubtedly carved a niche for delivering tooling solutions beyond the remit of virtually all competitor tooling products. The new UDCBF and UDCLBF are aimed at manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive and mould & die sectors that are processing hard materials via conventional and time consuming processes such as grinding, EDM wire and EDM spark erosion.

If you are familiar with grinding and EDM machining particularly hard materials, the benefit of cutting tools capable of doing the job are obvious with astounding cost benefits. The UDC range can eliminate the time, labour, material and overall cost implications of programming and producing an electrode and also setting up and machining with an electrode; making the cost of manufacture negligible in comparison to EDM and grinding.

The new diamond coated UDCBF and UDCLBF are both ideal for machining glass filled plastics, cemented carbides and hard/brittle materials. However, the tools demand a cutting strategy that requires machine tools capable of cutting from 20,000 to 30,000rpm with feed rates in the region of 750mm/min. The UDCBF is available in diameters of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.2, 1.5 and 2mm with a cut length from 0.42 to 1.4mm with an overall tool length of 50mm. With a 4mm shank diameter and a 16 degree taper angle, the UDCBF has been consciously designed to optimise rigidity whilst achieving sufficient reach for intricate machining applications.
For longer reach scenarios, Rainford Precision can now supply the new UDCLBF Series. This new line is now offered with an effective length from 1 to 20mm with an overall tool length of 50mm. Offered with radii from 0.3 to 1mm, in the same increments as the UDCBF Series, each of the respective radii has the option of numerous cutting lengths to deliver uncompromising rigidity and performance on abrasive materials.

With four product additions to the shorter UDCBF range and 32 additions to the long reach UDCLBF, Union Tool has genuinely extended this line to create a solution for all your miniature hard machining applications. For further details on how to solve your hard machining issues or to drastically improve your productivity and tool life, please contact your local Rainford Precision representative.