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March U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $197.6 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was up 9.8 percent from February’s total and up 4.6 percent from the same time in 2014.

“As we close the first quarter of 2015, strong cutting tool shipments in March prove that this year’s economic outlook remains solid for our industry,” says Brad Lawton, chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group. He adds that while these data support recent positive trends in machine tool orders and durable goods manufacturing, APKT Insert “there is a CCMT Insert possible caution in the industry regarding the increasing value of the dollar and the potential impact on exports.”

YG-1 offers a series of four solid carbide fiberglass routers designed to handle machining of fiberglass and other high-performance fibers. These new routers are said to be optimized in composition, cutting angles, flute strength and stability for longer life and lower cost per part. Four different cutting ends make these fiberglass/composites routers ideal for roughing, finishing, edge trimming, slotting, grooving, drilling or interpolation, achieving the same quality results on a CNC machining center or hand routing, the company says.

The Type I (NC end) is mostly for side milling, roughing or finishing passes to achieve a high-quality finish. Type II (burr end) is designed for plunging without damaging side flutes. Type CCMT Insert III (mill end) is best for surface milling molds or grooving with surface finish requirements. Type IV (drill end) can be used as a router and a drill and is designed for interpolation to achieve final hole diameter or slotting with a corner radius. 

More applications include machining in carbon fiber, Kevlar and other aramid blends, natural fiber-based composites and thermoset resin/thermoplastic blends.

The tools’ double-angle point geometry is designed to counteract or eliminate the machining problems typically encountered with carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) characteristics. The CVD coating increases abrasion resistance from the fibrous materials and extends tool life. Combined with guidance margins and open flutes, these specialized routers also drill holes with no dust jams or pressure overload, the company says. Suited to manual hole-making, countersinks Carbide Milling Insert and counterbores, hand drilling reduces delamination and fiber pullout.