By maintaining the use of existing inserts in the WFX Series, tool management and stock holding of inserts becomes more economic, extending their use to a wider range of applications. The combination of the existing inserts and new cutter bodies offers high stability and is able to create optimal levels of axial run-out (within 0.03 mm) on materials that include steel and exotic alloys, stainless and die steels, cast iron and non-ferrous materials.
The original WFX Wave Mill high precision cutters were developed to provide optimised squareness up to 90° shoulders. For depths of cut up to 10 mm, the cost-efficient four-corner insert with the high performance Sumitomo developed ACE-Coat Super ZX multi-layer PVD coating delivers in-cut life some 1.5 times greater than conventional inserts.
This high productivity is also due to the precision-machined seating in the body and controlled insert manufacture that enable high orders of shoulder squareness on the milled component, which is also achieved with excellent levels of surface finish.
The extended Wave Mill cutter bodies are available in shell and end-mill versions, each using four-corner inserts. For high feed rate applications and roughing cycles, WFXH inserts are set at 15° cutting edge angles, while the WFXC chamfer-type bodies have a 45° cutting edge.
The optimised edge strength of the WFX indexable inserts is achieved using a convex shape, whilst a flat between its corners minimises marking of the machined part due to any differences in levels when step cutting using sequential cutting depths. In addition, a wiper insert with 15° cutting edge to its single corner is also available in order to achieve even greater surface flatness and finer finishes.
There is a range of chipbreakers, L for low cutting forces, G for general purpose, H having a strong edge and S that boasts a sharp edge. These can be specified to optimise milling of specific materials and cutting operations as well as the application of the latest Sumitomo multi-layer Super ZX Coat.
There is also available a series of seven different insert grades for finishing, medium cutting and heavy duty cutting, in order to enable maximum performance and insert life to be achieved on different material types and cutting strategies.
