In this issue of the Cutting Tools Tips column, MEGA Tech discusses drilling tools from the ISCAR brand, which have been continuously designed and developed. We will talk about the latest innovations that ISCAR has developed to meet various usage needs and effectively address the demands of the metalworking industry.
The design concept of assembled drills with exchangeable solid carbide cutting heads, adopted by ISCAR at the turn of the century, significantly altered the company’s holemaking product program. In this concept, a precise carbide head is mounted in a steel holder using the “self-clamping” principle, which relies on the holder’s elastic deformation, without any mechanical clamping means. This approach is characteristic of various successful ISCAR products such as the SELF-GRIP and MULTI-MASTER tool lines, which have not only substantially improved machining performance, but also revolutionized traditional perspectives on cutting tool design.
The concept of assembled drills with carbide heads guarantees several key advantages:
1. Due to its rigid structure, reliable clamping principle, unique cutting geometry, and advanced carbide grade of the heads, the drills guarantee productive results. This significantly reduces cycle times and enables high-quality holes. These drills can be used for machining a wide range of materials including steel, stainless steel, cast iron, titanium, and high temperature alloys.
2. High repeatability and ISCAR’s “no-setup-time” principle promise that a worn head can be replaced without removing the drill from a machine, eliminating additional setup operations, and considerably decreasing downtime. The simple change of the heads makes the drills easy to handle and user friendly.
3. The drills are available in a wide range of diameters and overall lengths to suit various applications.
4. The use of interchangeable heads diminishes the need for a large drill inventory.
ISCAR’s drills with exchangeable carbide heads provide customers with a valuable tool solution to enhance the profitability of holemaking operations. Over the past 20 years, these drills have undergone significant changes. Beginning with the CHAMDRILL family, each new phase in the concept’s enhancement has led to new products that outperform their predecessors. Today, SUMOCHAM (Fig. 1) is ISCAR’s most popular family of assembled drills with exchangeable carbide heads and is highly regarded by customers. The continuous search for a way to increase drilling productivity, particularly when machining materials that produce fine chips, has resulted in the creation of LOGIQ-3-CHAM – a family of three-flute drills that utilize the same self-clamping approach. ISCAR’s development of carbide-headed drills continues to aspire. Unsurprisingly, ISCAR’s latest product campaign, LOGIQUICK, has unveiled innovative designs that not only enrich the existing product families and broaden their scope but also pave the way for new areas of application.
The new holder with three-flute heads allows a 10:1 drilling depth-to-diameter ratio (Fig. 2). The holder’s main feature is a specific flute design that minimally affects the tool’s structural strength.
Another innovation is the expansion of the LOGIQ-3-CHAM family application to include counterboring. The specially designed three-flute heads Fig. 3) are mounted on existing tools and transform them into highly efficient counterbores. The unique design features of the heads, including a corner chamfer for rapid chipping, specialized deflectors for improved chip formation, and a unique margin for enhanced support and guidance, significantly boost performance when machining materials like sticky steel, stainless steel, and high-temperature superalloys (HTSA). This design facilitates a broad spectrum of counterboring operations, ensuring high-quality holes, even when machining cross-holes with inclined surfaces.
New drills with MULTI-MASTER adaptations that carry exchangeable carbide heads essentially serve as a “bridge”, connecting the successful SUMOCHAM and MULTI-MASTER families (Fig. 4). These drills are a component of a versatile modular tool assembly which allows mounting drilling heads on a wide range of MULTI-MASTER tools facilitating not only an easy and quick change of the heads but also of the drill bodies. Moreover, the modular concept provides straightforward customization and flexibility regarding overall length, diameter, and finding the optimal tool configuration.
It’s worth noting that the holemaking innovations in the LOGIQUICK campaign are not solely represented by assembled tools with exchangeable heads. Several products of another design concept can also be highlighted. One such product is the three-flute flat-bottom solid carbide drill with internal coolant channels. The drill features a small isle for improved penetration, wavy cutting edges for assured chip control, an optimized core diameter to increase tool rigidity, and narrow wiper sections to reduce friction for a surface finish in combination with internal coolant supply that extends tool life and improves chip evacuation. These incredible attributes contribute to the promising prospects of this product line.
The overview of the mentioned products highlights that ISCAR’s focus on holemaking continues to drive their development efforts. With the metalworking industry seeking solutions to enhance holemaking performance, ISCAR is confident that their latest LOGIQUICK drilling developments will effectively meet the industry’s demands.
Article by: MEGATech & ISCAR (Thailand) Ltd.<< Click here