Northeast Tool, a manufacturer of aerospace and defense components, was struggling with their rough milling process in Inconel 625. They had to change their 1/2" end mill every 40-45 minutes, which meant they needed 7-8 end mills for every 6-hour process. This was causing excessive downtime, increased tooling costs, and reduced productivity.
Luckily, Fullerton's application specialist for Northeast Tool came to the rescue with a suggestion for the V-Mac 5-flute, high-performance end mill. The V-Mac is designed to excel in high-temperature and high-pressure applications, making it an ideal choice for machining superalloys like Inconel. The V-Mac was run with the same speeds and feed rates as the previous end mill used by Northeast Tool, but it outperformed all other suppliers by lasting 2 times longer, on average 1.5 hours compared to competitors' 40-45 minutes.
The increased tool life of the V-Mac end mill significantly reduced tool change-out times, resulting in increased productivity and reduced downtime. Plus, Northeast Tool saved $39,600 in tooling costs, as they no longer needed to purchase and replace as many end mills for every 6-hour process, with $130,000 projected cost savings on upcoming projects.
Scott Nejfelt, Director of Engineering at Northeast Tool, was highly impressed with the V-Mac end mill. "We were amazed at the increased productivity, reduced downtime, and cost savings that the V-Mac end mill provided. We are now using the V-Mac end mill for our rough milling needs and couldn't be happier with the results."
Fullerton's V-Mac 5-flute, high-performance end mill provided an innovative solution to Northeast Tool's Inconel 625 rough milling program. The V-Mac end mill's unique design and superior performance extended tool life, reduced tool change-out frequencies, increased productivity, and reduced tooling costs. Northeast Tool is now a happy customer and has since been using the V-Mac end mill for their rough milling needs.
Find out more about Fullerton's V-Mac and search their available offering at: https://fullertontool.com/products/end-mills/3125-vmac