Gear manufacturing Speedcore Hob Cutters offer alternative to carbide tools

Related Vendors

LMT Tools Systems GmbH & Co. KG

Jongen Werkzeugtechnik GmbH

AMPCO METAL Deutschland GbmH

Fette Werkzeugtechnik positions its Speedcore hob cutter as a cost-effective alternative to carbide tools in gear manufacturing. The high-performance HSS cutter enables up to 50 percent higher cutting speeds than conventional PM-HSS tools and can significantly reduce machining times without requiring investment in new machinery.

Carbide tools offer high performance but are heavily dependent on critical raw materials such as tungsten and cobalt. For users, this means that tool costs and availability are currently difficult to estimate due to the tight raw material and supply situation. This uncertainty can become an economic risk, particularly in series production. That is why the focus is shifting to cutting material concepts that combine high productivity with greater cost and supply stability. One solution is the Speedcore from Fette Werkzeugtechnik.

The hob is made of a specially developed high-performance high-speed steel and bridges the gap between conventional PM-HSS (powder metallurgical high-speed steel) and carbide. Its unique properties result from precisely controlled intermetallic phases that enhance the cutting material’s heat resistance and thermal stability. As a result, Speedcore withstands higher thermal loads and enables higher cutting speeds than conventional PM-HSS tools. At the same time, the cutting material offers the necessary toughness for reliable, process-safe use. Users can significantly increase productivity on existing equipment while simultaneously reducing unit costs without having to invest in new machines.

In addition to the material, process expertise also determines whether the Speedcore fully realizes its technical and economic potential. Fette Werkzeugtechnik views machining as an integrated system comprising the tool, workpiece, machine, and machining strategy. The process parameters are individually tailored to the material, component geometry, machine kinematics and stability, as well as the thermal and mechanical boundary conditions. “Unlike generic parameter recommendations, LMT Tools designs solutions that are material- and application-specific. The goal is to utilize the most economical process window in each case without compromising process reliability,” emphasizes Raphael Lienau, Managing Director of Fette Werkzeugtechnik.

Processing time reduced by approximately 50 percent

In an application for manufacturing a module 9 gear for a planetary gearbox in mining machinery, a Speedcore milling cutter with a Nanosphere 2.0 coating was pitted against a TiN-coated tool made of EMo5Co5, a cobalt-alloyed high-speed steel (HSS-E). The result: Machining time dropped from 50.9 to 26.2 minutes. This corresponds to a reduction of approximately 50 percent. With this, the Speedcore is entering performance ranges that were previously reserved for multi-piece tools with carbide inserts. The single-piece design offers additional advantages in terms of accuracy, tool costs, and effective teeth count.

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