‘To help users quickly find the right customised, application-optimised tool, Inovatools has preselected the best products from each tool family and marked them as special recommendations,’ says Marcus Schubert, Head of Sales and Marketing at Inovatools. ‘In addition to personal technical advice, 1st Choice is a powerful tool for quickly identifying our top tools, for example in the Inovatools online shop and in the main catalogue. We also provide special First Choice recommendations in the field of aluminium machining.’

The demands on the tools are evident when machining wrought aluminium alloys, where built-up edges can form, and in the abrasive effect of increased silicon content in cast alloys. Therefore, optimum chip removal is at the top of the priority list when designing tools.

Optimally designed for machining aluminium

The cutting edges of Inovatools have a high surface quality. The chip spaces and chip grooves are designed so that the chips can flow away quickly, thus preventing the formation of built-up edges and the early clogging of the tool. Dennis Marz, Technical Director at Inovatools: ‘All the tools in our First Choice recommendation for aluminium machining are optimally matched in terms of substrate and geometry to the respective applications and milling strategies. Thanks to targeted optimisation of the microgeometry, the cutting edges of our tools are extremely resistant. Even thin-walled aluminium workpieces can be reliably machined.’

The ultra-hard carbon thin-layer coating ta-C is used to counteract the abrasive effect of silicon. This special, extremely smooth high-performance coating is highly wear-resistant and low-friction for wet or dry machining and supports excellent chip removal. Dennis Marz: ‘All the First Choice items presented are designed with the ta-C coating. It is not only very hard, but also extremely smooth, so that cold welding or built-up edges cannot form. This makes the ta-C coating particularly suitable for machining aluminium. A particular advantage arises when machining hard aluminium casting alloys, composite materials such as GFRP and CFRP: the high resistance to abrasive wear and low friction between the tool cutting edge and the chip achieve very high tool life.’

High-performance aluminium cutting tools

Inovatools recommends 5 variants of HPC all-rounders as tools for special performance in aluminium machining: short and long, with and without internal cooling, and with corner radius (article numbers: 2.406, 2415, 2.416, 2.404, 2.405). The solid carbide end mill type (2.415) for diameters three and four is equipped with a special shaft cooling system: Dennis Marz: ‘With these tools, 10 cooling channels exit at the shaft transition close to the cutting edge or axially close to the cutting edge diameter. This reduces the likelihood that the component contour will affect the cooling. This special, targeted cooling helps to significantly reduce heat build-up in the machining zone and ultimately extend tool life.’

For high-performance roughing and finishing, Inovatools recommends the ta-C milling cutters with up to four flutes: The standard 1- to 3-flute cutters (article numbers: 2.402, 2.403, 590) are designed for very soft materials. Tools with a flat helix angle are suitable for thin-walled workpieces.

For demanding non-ferrous metals, Inovatools offers the 4-flute cutter (article number 2.407). Other 1st Choice recommendations are the ta-C coated torus milling cutter (article numbers: 2.408, 2.409) and the ball-end milling cutter (article numbers: 2.411, 2.412) in short and long versions, as well as the ta-C twist drill 5xD with internal coolant (article number: 707) for short machining times.

Reliable HPC roughing with the Primus knurled profile milling cutter

One example from the high-feed sector is the Primus HPC knurled roughing cutter with and without internal cooling (article numbers: 2.413, 251). Special features include the sturdy design and the special knurled profile. Dennis Marz: ‘Extreme feed rates, higher metal removal rates – with the aluminium roughing end mill Primus, we are providing a high-performance tool. Thanks to its special design features, Primus has what it takes to set new standards in aluminium roughing.’

Not only ta-C makes the tool resistant, but also the cutting edge preparation. Among other things, this prevents micro-chipping and makes the cutting edges more resistant. This significantly increases the tool life of the Primus. This is supported by chip splitters in the knurled profile. They quickly and prematurely break the aluminium chips, and thanks to smooth chip grooves, these can be quickly removed from the engagement zone. The design advantages ensure high process reliability and high surface quality even during HPC roughing.

Trochoidal top performance

Inovatools recommends a short variant (article number: 2.414) and a long one with a corner radius (2.410) for the trochoidal strategy TSC. Dennis Marz: ‘Due to the reduced cutting forces during trochoidal milling, smaller diameters with large cutting lengths can be used, which not only saves time but also, above all, costs.’

Marcus Schubert: ‘The design advantages of our First Choice high-performance tools for aluminium machining ensure very long tool life even at high feed rates and cutting speeds. The precisely designed tools offer improved machining quality and are cost-efficient in demanding manufacturing processes.’