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34 MMS June 2014 mmsonline.com rapid traverse Machining Technology in Brief tool-sliding limitation as other toolholders when the cutting force is extreme. For those extreme cuts, the U.K. group added a secondary, complementary locking system that relies on modifications to the end-mill shank. Two screws press against angled flats on the tool shank to wedge the tool against a stop. The mechanical leverage of this now-patented system, the "X-Treme" clamping, has proven sufficient to prevent the tool from changing position in the holder in even the most aggressive cuts Technicut has taken with its new Titan Rippa tool. When the new tool and new holder are used together, says Mr. Eckersall, the per formance difference is audible. The stability of the holder's grip on the titanium-cutting end mill is such that cuts in titanium are quiet, even at high metal removal rates. (See and hear video of a 16-cubic- inch-per-minute cut in titanium 6-4 at shor t. mmsonline.com/nikken .) The difference is also measurable, he says. One aircraft-industry manufacturer has adopted the new tooling combination for milling slots in several sizes of titanium engine fan disc. The improvement in metal removal rate from this tool- ing has reduced the cycle time for one such part from 36 hours to around 11 hours. Meanwhile, the system's stability contributes to tool life sav- ings that have decreased the number of tool Nikken (represented in the United States by Lyndex-Nikken), call 800-543-6237 or visit lyndexnikken.com. Technicut, visit technicut.ltd.uk. The mechanism for holding the tool's Z-axis position during aggres- sive milling involves angled flats on the tool shank. Screws wedge the tool against a stop. The Technicut tool for high-metal-removal-rate titanium milling and the Nikken holder are sold as a combined system. Video at short.mmsonline.com/nikken shows the milling of these slots in titanium. Nikken captured this video during test cutting to convey how quietly the tooling combination cuts. 0614_MMS_rapid.indd 34 5/13/2014 4:27:22 PM