Repeatedly pronounced dead, HSS tools nevertheless always experience a revival and are also able to hold their own against competition from outside the EU. The development of powder-metallurgical HSS steels in particular has brought a leap in tool performance.
New cutting edge geometries, often extensively developed with 3D simulations, enable previously unattainable cutting performance. Large, profiled flutes ensure friction-free chip removal in the truest sense of the word, which significantly increases the process reliability of these tools. New coatings provide long tool life and reduce built-up edges or scour damage. For HSS, innovation not only increases performance, but also significantly extends the life cycle of the tool systems.
A few years ago, TYROLIT provided manufacturers of these tools with the innovative STARTEC ICE grinding wheels, a high-performance tool for grinding HSS that has set a new benchmark in the market with its cool grinding and high stock removal rates. It brings out the full capabilities and performance of modern grinding machines and ensures high productivity and economy, enabling HSS tool manufacturers to survive in a fiercely competitive environment.
However, the manufacturing companies do not only have high-performance machines, but often have less powerful but reliable and durable grinding machines with medium feed rates and grinding capacities in use. As a rule, though, these cannot optimally utilise the high performance capacity of modern tools. Continuous improvement of the production processes with the existing machinery is, nevertheless, a key factor for sustainable competitiveness of the grinding companies.
Thanks to intensive customer contact and the close interaction between application technology and development at TYROLIT, this customer requirement was quickly recognised. These requirements became the guideline for the continuous further development and optimisation of TYROLIT’s grinding tools and initiated an innovative new development internally. Accordingly, all those involved, right up to the production department, have attempted to apply the strengths of the STARTEC ICE tools to the standard grinding tools. With the inclusion of all individual components of a grinding wheel, new approaches were sought with the aim of developing a new, innovative performance level also for use on standard machines.