Kennametal announced the latest addition to its best-selling HARVI line of high-performance solid end milling tools, the HARVI I TE four-flute solid carbide end mill. With a radical new design, the HARVI I TE delivers outstanding performance in a broad range of materials, including steel, stainless steel, high-temperature alloys and cast iron –with tool life to match. And thanks to significantly reduced cutting forces, this game-changing tool can be used on any machining centre or mill-turn centre in the shop.
“The HARVI I TE consistently outperformed competing for four-flute end mills in both wet and dry machining tests on a variety of materials and applications, with unprecedented tool life in many cases,” said Bernd Fiedler, Manager, Solid End Milling. “It performs exceptionally well on heavy roughing and finishing cuts alike – from deep cavities and full-width slots to shoulder and dynamic milling,” he said.
Kennametal engineers designed the HARVI I TE to address four key problems that plague more than 90% of all milling applications: chip evacuation, tool deflection, corner stability, and breakage due to radial cutting forces. A result is a tool that’s durable and versatile enough to tackle the lion’s share of milling applications.
Consider chip evacuation. The HARVI I TE has an innovative flute design that helps curl and break chips into manageable pieces, while a series of chip gashes within the flute lift those chips up and away from the workpiece. Both serve to promote coolant flow, eliminate chip re-cutting, and improve tool life. A twisted end face and unique gashing further promote chip evacuation but are also responsible for the HARVI I TE’s awesome ramping and plunging capabilities. Tool deflection is reduced thanks to the tool’s parabolic core, as well as an eccentric, faceted relief along the entire flute length that significantly lowers cutting friction. This relief also increases edge strength, making the tool a versatile solution.
Together with a variable helix angle and asymmetric flutes, it dampens vibration before it can negatively affect machining operations. “The HARVI I TE improves process stability, surface quality and chip evacuation,” said Fiedler. “Most importantly, it maintains these benefits even at increased feeds, speeds, and depths of cut – delivering maximum metal removal, tool life and productivity.”
