The trochoidal cutters (TPC) from LMT Tools offer outstanding cutting performance, extremely short machining times, and long service life, and are considered a key technology for efficient and reliable machining in a wide range of materials. The machine manufacturer TMQS from Büchen put them to the test in practice and used the TPC M for the first time in its production – with outstanding success.
Credit: LMT Tools
With their maximum axial engagement (3 x Ø and 5 x Ø) and carefully coordinated geometries, the milling cutters in the TPC family deliver flawless performance in a variety of machining applications.
TMQS uses the TPC M from LMT Tools to machine a workpiece made of titanium 3.7165. Starting from a raw size of 60 x 60 x 255 mm, the wall thickness is reduced to 2 mm by roughing. The company had already been working with trochoidal milling cutters, but the switch to the TPC M has now resulted in a significant leap in performance: Machining time has been cut in half, while tool life (235 min) and metal removal rate (approx. 40 mm³/min) have doubled. The result: higher productivity, lower unit costs, and more stable processes. “The TPC milling cutters from LMT Tools are a real game changer for us,” emphasizes Nico Brandt, CEO at TMQS. “We now manufacture complex titanium components faster, more economically, and with significantly higher process reliability.”
Optimized Tool Geometry and Excellent Chip Removal
The TPC M was developed by LMT Tools specifically for trochoidal milling in titanium and is precisely tailored to the process-specific requirements. The high-performance tools feature multiple cutting edges, multiple chip breakers with tangential transition, and a particularly wear-resistant cutting corner. The chip breakers ensure optimum chip removal and significantly reduce vibration, which has a positive effect on tool life. The cutting edges are located along the entire length of the tool and are almost completely immersed in the workpiece. This allows very large feed depths to be achieved. In the TMQS application, a feed depth of 35 mm was achieved with the TPC M – with a cutting edge length of 38 mm (tool diameter: 12 mm). A special cutting edge geometry with defined edge preparation and the latest coating enables high cutting speeds and guarantees maximum cutting performance and feed rates. Another advantage is the 2 mm long cutting edge. This allows the TPC M to be reground several times without compromising the maximum depth of cut.
Excellent Trochoidal Milling in a Wide Range of Materials
“The TMQS application impressively demonstrates the outstanding performance of our HPC milling cutters. These powerful tools achieve the best milling results in any material and take trochoidal milling to a whole new level,” says Carsten Wegner, Technical Consulting and Sales at LMT Tools, summarizing the advantages. In addition to the TPC M for titanium, versions with cutting lengths of 3 x Ø and 5 x Ø are available for cast iron (ISO-K), steel and stainless steel (ISO-M), as well as high-temperature steels and superalloys.