Thus CERATIZIT has managed to successfully enter the field of stainless steel machining. CTPM125 allows the machining of ferritic, martensitic, austenitic and duplex steels without any difficulty.  The grade is for universal application from finishing to roughing and suitable for both continuous and interrupted cut.

Stainless steel, including acid-resistant steel types, is mainly used in mechanical engineering, in the automotive industry, aerospace and oil industry. Ferritic, martensitic and austenitic steels show varying machinability, while duplex steels, which are a combination of ferritic and austenitic structures are moderately difficult to hard to machine as swarf control is problematical to manage. These types of steel are mainly applied because of its good corrosion resistance combined with high strength.

Customer test results show high quality and surface finish together with improved tool life
A special carbide substrate and an innovative PVD coating provide the CTPM125 inserts with a balanced ratio of wear resistance and toughness. Thus CTPM125 ensures high quality and surface finish together with improved tool life. Herbert Ronacher, product manager at CERATIZIT: “Several customer tests have shown that thanks to the new grade the inserts exhibit only limited tendency to built-up edge and formation of burrs. Furthermore CTPM125 is resistant to notching. The tests proved that the new carbide grade from CERATIZIT has a 20 % longer tool life; moreover, the cutting speed increased by more than 30 % and as a result productivity too.”

The ‘fine’, the ‘smooth‘ and the ‘universal’ version are synonymous with cutting operations at a high quality level
CTPM125 was developed in combination with the innovative geometries –F30, –M30 and –M60. F30 is the ‘fine’ geometry and optimally suited for finishing operations. As swarf control is realized, the highest demands in terms of surface quality of the work piece are fulfilled. Thanks to its positive mounting position it guarantees a smooth and precise cutting action.

Thanks to its curved cutting edge -M30 influences the direction of the swarf positively. This is why it is called ‘smooth’. Even under unstable conditions the cutting forces are still kept at a minimum.

The ‘universal’ geometry –M60 is suitable for virtually all application fields. With its slightly reinforced positive cutting edge high metal removal rates may be obtained. Even when materials with heavy skin or cast skin are processed, security can be ensured while maximum quality is achieved even in case of interrupted cut. “All three geometries guarantee the operator reliable and economic cutting operations at the highest quality level”, states Herbert Ronacher.

The carbide specialist CERATIZIT is synonymous with “hard material matters”
CERATIZIT S.A. is a pioneer and global player in sophisticated hard material solutions. The company operates from Mamer, Luxembourg. CERATIZIT is the world market leader in unique and consistently innovative hard material products for wear protection and cutting tools and is present in more than 50 countries. In the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, oil industry, medical systems, electronics as well as mould and die making customers benefit from this fact. With more than 400 active patents and 5500 employees, CERATIZIT is your high-powered partner worldwide.

Steel is the most frequently used construction material and therefore holds the highest share in the cutting tool industry. However, due to new alloys the properties of steel have changed, making it considerably more difficult to machine than in the past.

“We have developed CTCP115 and CTCP125 in such a way that they are optimally suited to the requirements of coating adhesion and wear resistance”, explains Uwe Schleinkofer, R&D Cutting Tools Manager at CERATIZIT. Thanks to the stability of the cutting edges, tool life and reliability when machining steel have been significantly enhanced. The optimum combination of cutting material and chip groove allows for a wide range of applications. Both grades are suitable for steel alloys and achieve excellent results on ductile cast iron and various stainless steels.

Suitable for universal application: CTCP125 for steel turning
The enhanced CTCP125 grade covers the field of steel turning to a major degree, simultaneously ensuring both increased productivity and reliability compared to the former P25 grades. CTCP125 is considered to be particularly universal in terms of application. It may be used for the manufacture of small parts as well as for high volume production. No matter whether continuous or interrupted cut, CTCP125 guarantees maximum reliability and quality. “In numerous customer tests we were able to double tool life, thus considerably improving productivity”, says Herbert Ronacher, product manager at CERATIZIT.

The specialist for high volume production - CTCP115
The application field for the new grade CTCP115 is clearly defined: high volume production. CTCP115 is provided with the necessary toughness through fine-grained titanium carbonitride and shows heat resistance which makes it perfectly suitable for dry machining. Even at high cutting speed, small tolerances are maintained. Before introducing the new grade in the market, CERATIZIT tested CTCP115 several times successfully at a bearing manufacturer’s. In these tests the benchmark in terms of productivity has been exceeded, the inserts showing only little wear at the end.

The carbide specialist CERATIZIT is synonymous with “hard material matters”
CERATIZIT S.A. is a pioneer and global player in sophisticated hard material solutions. The company operates from Mamer, Luxembourg. CERATIZIT is the world market leader in unique and consistently innovative hard material products for wear protection and cutting tools and is present in more than 50 countries. In the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, oil industry, medical systems, electronics as well as mould and die making customers benefit from this fact. With more than 400 active patents and 5500 employees, CERATIZIT is your high-powered partner worldwide.

SKF Bulgaria- Forgings and Rings Karnare is a part of SKF where hot forged and machined rings for ball bearings, taper roller bearings, HBU are produced. The first big project together with Ceratizit was to equip a channel for outer and inner rings for ball bearings with cutting tools. As SKF France had already had first-hand knowledge of CERATIZIT’s expertise the support of the carbide specialist was once again imperative.

“Everything had to be precise to the hundredth degree”
SKF Bulgaria needed various profile inserts for the manufacture of the internal and external bearing rings, which are able to turn the corner profile, the raceway of ring and the seal grooves as precisely as possible. Didier Combes, Manager Forgings and Rings Unit at SKF: “In the case of the ball bearing raceway and the seal groove everything has to be precise to the hundredth degree. Only in this way can we guarantee its functionality later on.” In order to fulfil these requirements CERATIZIT developed customized profile inserts for SKF.

Numerous small improvements for an optimum profile insert
The faith SKF had in CERATIZIT was rapidly rewarded. In many steps and tests the development specialists from CERATIZIT changed the geometries and cutting edges of the SKF profile inserts again and again - sometimes to a minimal degree - by doing so, improving the product continually.

Thus the single-blade profile insert for the machining of the bearing raceway of the external ring became a double-ended insert. In order to optimally turn the sealing ring groove and the bearing raceway for the internal ring the carbide experts developed the V-bottom insert.

Close collaboration and tests under realistic conditions
These results were achieved as not only the collaboration with SKF was excellent but also the entire team of CERATIZIT - from the engineer to the product manager and the sales representative - worked closely together. A technical sales engineer on site frequently checked the respective development steps personally, revising them and implementing them immediately.
Based on this groundwork CERATIZIT then planned the next development steps.

“During the entire development period CERATIZIT offered excellent service and responded extraordinarily quickly,” remembers Didier Combes, Forgings and Rings Unit manager at SKF.

CERATIZIT however did not only reach the predefined goal but additionally offered SKF a product solution including a variety of further advantages, such as enhanced process security and stability as well as longer tool life. “We were so successful mainly because we refrained from using cermet and instead utilized coated carbide. The PVD coatings were particularly developed for this kind of application,” explains product manager Andreas Schätzl.

In the following interview, Didier Combes, Manager Forgings and Rings Unit at SKF, talks about the cooperation with CERATIZIT
How did the development phase go?
At the beginning both of us had limited know-how regarding the new production facilities. We then started to build it up together step by step. Of course there were some teething troubles but thanks to the quick reaction and CERATIZIT’s troubleshooting competence they were eliminated quickly.

According to you, which criteria were important regarding the tool and your product?
Due to the high competitive pressure it was important for us to obtain long tool life. The costs per ring which are caused by the tools must be kept as low as possible. Another aspect is the production time: a ring must be produced within a few seconds. This is something we achieve only when we work efficiently - both the quality and the tool life of our tools must be optimal.

What happened in the development phase?
As already mentioned the entire team from CERATIZIT responded quickly and efficiently. Everybody involved worked in a very solution-oriented way. When the requirements on the tool were not fulfilled to a hundred per cent the employees searched for solutions and they always found some very quickly. Furthermore they supported us in all technical questions and issues on site so that we felt continuously at ease. The entire collaboration beat all the expectations we had previously had.

How do you assess the collaboration with CERATIZIT?
The collaboration was excellent in all respects: from the purchasing to the technical contact persons to the machine operators - everybody worked together with us perfectly. My colleagues Neli Vasileva and Veneta Sokolova from the process development department and the purchasing department confirmed that the exchange of information worked out perfectly on all levels.

Will you make use of CERATIZIT‘s know-how in future too?
As the past months have been so successful we would like to continue and extend the collaboration with CERATIZIT; and we will be introducing another ten types of rings in the coming months. This is an ambitious aim but simultaneously an exciting challenge for both sides. Based on the great success at SKF Bulgaria there will definitely be further opportunities to work together with CERATIZIT at other SKF sites.

SKF – The Power of Knowledge Engineering
SKF is the worldwide leading supplier of products, system solutions and services for bearings and units, sealings, mechatronics and lubricating systems. The company was founded in 1907 and quickly developed into a global corporation. The SKF group is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is represented in more than 130 countries. The company has more than 100 production sites and sales companies. The products and services are distributed in around 40 customer segments.

The carbide specialist CERATIZIT is synonymous with “hard material matters”
CERATIZIT S.A. is a pioneer and global player in sophisticated hard material solutions. The company operates from Mamer, Luxembourg. CERATIZIT is the world market leader in unique and consistently innovative hard material products for wear protection and cutting tools and is present in more than 50 countries. In the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, oil industry, medical systems, electronics as well as mould and die making customers benefit from this fact. With more than 400 active patents and 5500 employees, CERATIZIT is your high-powered partner worldwide.