As cost pressure increases, manufacturers are being challenged not only to manage higher prices but also to rethink how cutting tools are designed, used, and replaced.

At Tungaloy, this challenge is being addressed through tool architecture. The company is emphasizing exchangeable-head solid carbide systems that reduce material consumption and environmental impact while achieving superior machining performance.

Material Efficiency, Sustainability, and Versatility

Conventional solid carbide tools require full replacement once worn, resulting in high material consumption and waste. Exchangeable-head systems take a different approach: only the worn cutting head is replaced, reducing carbide usage, limiting waste, and lowering exposure to raw-material price volatility—an increasingly important consideration as access to critical resources becomes more constrained. Tungaloy’s DrillMeister drilling system and TungMeister milling system are designed around this principle, enabling more efficient and responsible use of limited carbide resources compared with conventional solid tools.

Beyond material efficiency, the modular design provides a high degree of versatility. TungMeister offers a wide range of milling heads for applications such as high-feed, face, shoulder, slotting, and chamfering operations, while DrillMeister provides various drilling heads optimized for different drilling requirements. This flexibility allows manufacturers to adapt to changing production needs while reducing tooling inventory.

Supporting Advanced Manufacturing

Emerging industries demand tight tolerances, consistent surface quality, and stable processes, often under high tool consumption rates. By combining material efficiency with modular versatility, exchangeable-head systems help manufacturers balance productivity, cost stability, and long-term resource efficiency in these high-precision environments.

A Long-Term View

Tungaloy’s philosophy is that when material costs continue to rise, the industry must look beyond short-term reactions.

Smarter, long-term solutions are needed. Solutions built into the architecture of the tool itself. By reducing material waste and improving versatility, manufacturers can maintain productivity and stability even under changing conditions. In times like these, it is important not to lose focus—or, quite literally, not to lose your head.

About Tungaloy

Tungaloy continues to explore new ways to strengthen its environmental commitment by expanding renewable energy, promoting recycling and digital-first practices, and supporting community-based initiatives, reaffirming its dedication to a more sustainable and responsible manufacturing future.

Slotting solutions for the real world 

The 335.18 disc milling cutter is designed to tackle the toughest slotting challenges across automotive, aerospace, and general engineering sectors. Its smooth-cutting design ensures fewer vibrations, longer tool life, and reliable results. It is particularly suitable for long overhangs or even in weaker setups, such as robotic arms.

Design your own indexable slotting cutter 

With one of the broadest ranges on the market, the 335.18 system features a wide selection of LNKT inserts, various corner radii, integrated wiper flats for fine finishes, and a complete portfolio of grades and geometries. If the standard range doesn’t fit, MyDesign allows users to configure and quote a custom cutter body in minutes—no waiting, no guesswork.

Cost efficiency is at the core of the 335.18’s design. Double-sided inserts with four cutting edges, high performance grades, and a durable Swedish steel cutter body deliver extended tool life and fewer replacements, supporting sustainable manufacturing and maximizing value for every investment.

About Seco

With its origins in Fagersta, Sweden and present in more than 75 countries, Seco is a leading global provider of metal cutting solutions for indexable milling, solid milling, turning, holemaking, threading and tooling systems. For nearly 100 years, Seco has driven excellence throughout the entire manufacturing journey, ensuring high-precision machining and high-quality output.

Precision, simplified 

The .38 Finishing Face Mill / SNFX1204 system offers three cutter variants—fixed pocket, hybrid, and adjustable—each tailored to different levels of control and performance. Whether your priority is achieving consistent surface finishes or minimizing setup effort, this system offers a practical and flexible solution. Offering two insert types to meet different demands—one with an 88° lead angle for near-wall machining and another with a 27° lead angle for high-feed, open-surface work—you can cover a wide range of finishing challenges while keeping operations simple and cost-effective.

The Fixed Pocket Cutter (R220.38-….-SN-..SA) is ideal for users seeking effortless handling and setup-free operations. Its tilted screw design ensures perfect insert self-centering and excellent run out accuracy (4–15 µm), making it a cost-efficient solution that reduces operator error and training needs.

The Hybrid Cutter (R220.38-….-SN-..CSA) combines fixed and adjustable cassette- pockets, allowing it to function as a fixed pocket tool by default. The cassette inserts act like dedicated wiper inserts for enhanced surface finish and, while adjustment is possible, it’s not required—offering flexibility without added complexity.

The Adjustable Cutter (R220.38-….-SN-..HSA) offers ultimate control, with fine-tuning capabilities that achieve run-out as low as 0–2 µm—perfect for demanding applications where surface perfection is non-negotiable.

“With the .38 Finishing Face Mill system, we’ve focused on making high-performance finishing both easy and dependable,” says Tobias Jakobi, Product Manager Face Milling at Seco. “Ease of handling is essential in finishing operations, and this solution gives users the flexibility to meet varying demands—often with just one system where two might have been needed before.”

The .38 Finishing Face Mill system will be available globally starting in September 2025.

The .38 Finishing Face Mill / SNFX1204 system is available in three cutter variants.

About Seco

With its origins in Fagersta, Sweden and present in more than 75 countries, Seco is a leading global provider of metal cutting solutions for indexable milling, solid milling, turning, holemaking, threading and tooling systems. For nearly 100 years, Seco has driven excellence throughout the entire manufacturing journey, ensuring high-precision machining and high-quality output.

When designing the cutters, instead of further reducing the clearance angle for the benefit of the cutting force, Walter made it larger and rotated the position of the indexable inserts by 8° so that the effective clearance angle stays the same. As a result, the stability and process reliability of the milling cutters and inserts has significantly improved.

In addition to shoulder milling, the tool is suitable for face milling, ramping, pocket milling and circular interpolation. The primary applications include machining steel, stainless steel, cast iron, non-ferrous materials and materials with difficult cutting properties (ISO P, M, K, N, S and H material groups). Targeted industries include energy, die and mold making, and general mechanical engineering.

The M5130 cutter has a 90° approach angle, which dramatically decreases the need for a finishing operation. Each size is available with multiple pitches for different applications and features a stable cross section due to the modified installation position of the inserts.

The design of the Xtra-tec XT® M5130 means that not only is it more stable and therefore more reliable than competing shoulder milling cutters, but it can also be used with higher feeds per tooth. Combined with the high number of teeth, end users see a significant increase in productivity. Overall, the tool is available in diameters of 0.5 to 6.0 in. with nine unique geometries and eleven grades, including PCD.

About Walter

Walter, a global leader in the metalworking industry for over 100 years, offers a wide range of precision tools for milling, turning, drilling and threading applications. The company helps customers in the aviation and aerospace industries, automotive, energy, and general metalworking industry improve process reliability and increase productivity. As an innovative partner capable of creating digital process solutions for optimal efficiency, Walter is pioneering Industry 4.0 throughout the machining industry. With Regional Headquarters in Greer, SC, Walter markets its competence brands Walter, Walter Titex, Walter Prototyp and Walter Multiply through a network of channel partners and field engineers across the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

The “VAR” acronym indicates the end mills are Versatile, American-Made and offer Reliable Performance. “The end mill design offers milling versatility for a range of hard-to-cut aerospace materials from stainless steel and titanium to Inconel and nickel alloys and other challenging applications,” said Craig Gosselin, Milling Products Manager, EMUGE-FRANKEN USA. “We are proud to be making TiNox-Cut VAR end mills in America, ensuring quality, reliability and consistency in every tool, made to stringent EMUGE-FRANKEN German specifications and standards.”

The TiNox-Cut VAR End Mills Line is offered in four end mill types for semi-roughing and finishing applications:

• TiNox-Cut VAR-NF end mills are high performance roughing tools for all materials that are difficult to machine, and are very efficient in Inconel and titanium. A fine chip breaker reduces chip size and cutting forces.
• TiNox-Cut VAR-N are high performance tools specially designed for the machining of titanium and titanium alloys. They feature five flutes for high feed rates and have a raised land that increases chip clearance. The end mills are also available in standard corner radius types.
• TiNox-Cut VAR Base are entry-level universal roughing and finishing tools for the machining of stainless and acid-resistant steels.
• TiNox-Cut VAR Trochoidal offers a high metal removal rate (even on low-powered machines), reducing the stress and vibration for difficult materials and thin-walled components. Trochoidal milling is the overlapping of a circular path with a linear movement, converting slot milling into contour milling.

Ideal for high impact applications, TiNox-Cut VAR End Mills are made from premium sub-micron grade solid carbide with a maximized transverse rupture strength. The tools have advanced PVD applied coatings for heat and wear resistance, and an axial internal coolant channel design offers maximum chip evacuation performance and chip cooling ability. TiNox-Cut VAR End Mills provide impressive surface roughness results when compared to traditional end mills. This high-performance end mills line is available in 4 and 5-flute configurations, and the Trochoidal cutters also offer 7-flute designs in metric sizes. The end mills have a maximum 4XD length, and the Trochoidal cutters also have an extra-long 5XD length in its metric sizes. TiNox-Cut VAR End Mills include a total of 188 SKUs and are offered in diameters from 0.125″ to 1″ and also in Trochoidal metric sizes from 6 mm to 20 mm. For exceptional machining rigidity, TiNox-Cut VAR End Mills with Weldon Shanks can be used with EMUGE-FRANKEN FPC Milling Chucks that feature an anti-pullout pin lock system.

About EMUGE-FRANKEN USA

EMUGE-FRANKEN USA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the 1,950 employee German company EMUGE-Werk Richard Glimpel GmbH & Co. KG (Lauf, Germany). EMUGE-FRANKEN USA offers end-user technical support through a network of in-the-field engineers and in-house product specialists, all with extensive tooling and application experience. Over 10,000 types of cutting tools and accessories are stocked in the company’s U.S. and Canadian Headquarters located in West Boylston, MA, U.S.A. The recently expanded 50,000+ sq. ft. facility includes a technology center with a machining and tooling demonstration showroom and classroom, tool manufacturing and coating, reconditioning, warehouse, sales, support, and administrative offices.

About EMUGE-FRANKEN

For over 100 years, the German company group EMUGE-FRANKEN has been one of the world’s leading manufacturers of precision tools for thread cutting, drilling, gaging, clamping, and milling. With 1,950 employees, EMUGE-FRANKEN offers an innovative product program with 40,000 in-stock items and a multiple of that with customer-specific tools. The product range focuses on applications in the automotive industry, power plants, aerospace industry and medical technology as well as general manufacturing. As a complete system supplier for the machining industry, EMUGE-FRANKEN has branch offices or sales partners in 52 countries.

The grade is comprised of a carbide substrate with a high level of toughness, topped with a bonding layer to adhere the (MT-TiCN) base layer. A second bonding layer adheres the highly textured (Al2O3) layer which serves as a wear-resistant heat shield followed by a gold-colored (TiN) top layer for wear detection.

The highly textured MT-TiCN Tiger·tec® Gold coating provides a high level of wear resistance because of the optimized elastic properties of the aligned crystals. In contrast, a conventional TiCN coating wears more quickly because individual crystals detach from the compound. For example, in an application milling a steel C45R component with a hardness of 220 HB, a WPP35G insert produced 1,300 components versus 1,000 for an existing grade insert, a 30% increase.

The multiple-stage post-treatment process creates a smooth rake face for improved toughness and reduced friction. The milling grade is ideal for short runs and is equally impressive when used in mass production applications. Areas of use include general mechanical engineering, mold and die making, and the aerospace, energy and automotive industries.

The grade is suitable for dry machining, especially steel, or with cooling lubricant. The Tiger·tec® Gold WPP35G milling grade is an economical solution when measured on a cost per part, cost per insert or even a cost per cutting edge criteria.

About Walter

Walter, a global leader in the metalworking industry for over 100 years, offers a wide range of precision tools for milling, turning, drilling and threading applications. The company helps customers in the aviation and aerospace industries, automotive, energy, and general metalworking industry improve process reliability and increase productivity. As an innovative partner capable of creating digital process solutions for optimal efficiency, Walter is pioneering Industry 4.0 throughout the machining industry. With Regional Headquarters in Greer, SC, Walter markets its competence brands Walter, Walter Titex, Walter Prototyp and Walter Multiply through a network of channel partners and field engineers across the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Flexible and cost effective 

The new Seco Round 20 cutters and inserts are well suited for highly productive medium-to-rough milling in steel, stainless steels and heat-resistant superalloys and can also be productively applied to cast iron and hardened steels. The large-diameter inserts maximize material removal rates and offer a cost-effective means to generate an R10 mm radii with 20 mm round inserts.

“The new generation of Round 20 represents a significant step forward from its predecessors,” said Seco Product Manager Benoit Patriarca. “With today’s Round 20, inserts can be indexed to four, six or eight positions, allowing users to match the insert consumption to the depth of cut being taken. This flexibility also means the new inserts integrate with existing cutter bodies that index to four or eight positions.”

Increased cutter body longevity 

Through the use of insert shims and cassettes, users can maximize the life of Round 20 cutter bodies. With these options, manufacturers reduce the risk of damaging an insert pocket and eliminate the replacement cost and potential downtime that accompany unexpected tool breakage.

Round 20 features sixteen available cutter bodies with four shim options and three cassette options as well as thirty indexable cutting inserts.

About Seco

With its origins in Fagersta, Sweden and present in more than 75 countries, Seco is a leading global provider of metal cutting solutions for indexable milling, solid milling, turning, holemaking, threading and tooling systems. For nearly 100 years, Seco has driven excellence throughout the entire manufacturing journey, ensuring high-precision machining and high-quality output.

The layer thickness of the coatings are optimized to provide optimal coverage of the insert’s sharp cutting edges. The WSM36G grade features a smooth surface layer with the perfect balance between toughness and wear resistance.

The Tiger·tec® Gold grade WSM36G is ideal for machining materials made from titanium alloys (ISO S material group). The grade is also suitable for milling nickel-based superalloys and stainless steel (ISO S and M material groups). The targeted areas of use include the aerospace and energy industries, mold and die making, and general mechanical engineering.

The new grade is specifically for the P3204 inserts used in the Walter Xtra·tec® XT M5460 profile milling cutter for precise copying and finishing. The P3204 exchangeable insert features a fully ground circumference allowing the Xtra·tec® XT M5460 profile milling cutter to benefit end users by enabling maximum process reliability because of the strong cutting edges, the finest surface finish quality due to smooth tool coatings and the ability to optimally remove chips, and maximum cost-efficiency because the cutter can run at a high cutting speed.

The cutting diameter (Dc) for the Xtra.tec XT M5460 profile milling tool is offered from 8 to 32 mm, or 3/8″ to 1.0″ and is available with ScrewFit adaptation, a cylindrical-modular interface or a cylindrical shank.

About Walter

A global leader in the metalworking industry for over 100 years, the company offers a wide range of precision tools for milling, turning, drilling and threading applications. The company helps customers in the aviation and aerospace industries, automotive, energy, and general metalworking industry improve process reliability and increase productivity. As an innovative partner capable of creating digital process solutions for optimal efficiency, Walter is pioneering Industry 4.0 throughout the machining industry. With Regional Headquarters in Greer, SC, Walter markets its competence brands Walter, Walter Titex, Walter Prototyp and Walter Multiply through a network of channel partners and field engineers across the USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

The CERATIZIT UP2DATE catalog is now available, showcasing the latest product developments and advancements for the cutting tool industry. Designed to help customers optimize machining performance, extend tool life, and maximize production efficiency, this edition features tooling solutions tailored to meet intricate milling and micromachining operations. Included in the spring 2025 UP2DATE edition are the MaxiMill – Slot-SNHX milling cutter, the MaxiMill – Tangent milling cutter, and the WTX – Micropilot micro drill.

“Customers come to us for more effective and productive cutting tools which we deliver with support and technical expertise,” says Troy Wilt, Managing Director of CERATIZIT USA. “Applying our technical expertise in the field often leads to new and better solutions that work across multiple industry sectors.”

Groove milling made easy

The MaxiMill – Slot-SNHX is a robust side and face milling cutter system that is engineered for exceptional performance across a range of materials, including steel, cast iron, and aluminum. The innovative tool is designed to deliver soft cuts while effectively avoiding interfering contours, making it an ideal solution for diverse milling applications.

The MaxiMill – Slot-SNHX features trouble-free contours on the face side and sufficient axial freedom of movement that ensure smooth machining — even in hard-to-reach areas. Thanks to precision-ground indexable inserts, machinists can expect a flat groove base that ensures perfect surfaces from the very first cut. The system is also equipped with an internal coolant supply up to a diameter of 200 mm, which minimizes chip jamming and further boosts efficiency.

The MaxiMill – Slot-SNHX is available in three models to offer the most universal connection on the market. These slip-on milling cutters offer diameter ranges from 80mm to 200mm each of which include internal coolant supply, and multiple sized cutting widths. The screw-in milling cutter also provides an internal coolant supply on diameters of 50mm, 63mm, and 80mm and cutting widths of 6mm and 8mm. The milling cutter with cylindrical shank and internal coolant supply is available to CERATIZIT customers in diameters of 50mm, 63mm, 80mm and 100mm as well as cutting widths of 6mm and 8mm.

Better reach and pace 

The MaxiMill – Tangent is CERATIZIT’s new tangential indexable milling cutter designed for machining hard-to-reach steel or cast iron components. Engineered to deliver stable and soft-cutting machining, it provides a uniform chamfer profile over the entire length of the cutting edge for maximum stability within a single system.

The MaxiMill – Tangent has indexable inserts optimized for machining ISO P and ISO K materials. Moreover, it features a maximum infeed depth of 8 mm for the -09 insert, while the larger model goes even further to 12 mm. The MaxiMill – Tangent includes universal -M50 and -F50 chip breakers, offering enhanced cutting-edge stability due to a reduced radial clearance angle.

Furthermore, there is an integrated face-cutting edge, which offers machining benefits, including uniform material removal that results in a smoother component surface. In addition, the cutting forces are distributed more evenly and reduce the load on both the tool and the machine.

The MaxiMill – Tangent is available in three mounting styles: shell mill, screw-in cutter, and straight shank. Cutter diameters range from 25mm to 125mm. The large and stable contact surfaces in the integrated carrier inserts carrier provide additional stability and reliability. Plus, compared to radial systems, tangential clamping provides extra space for significantly more indexable inserts on the milling cutter body, thus guaranteeing maximum cutting-edge density and efficiency. Inserts can be rotated, turned, and replaced quickly and easily to prevent any drop-offs in efficiency during tool changes.

A complete micro drill system 

The WTX – Micropilot is an innovative micro drill used for spot drilling small components with intricate geometries. Working in tandem with CERATIZIT’s WTX – Micro, the pilot drill is small in stature and delivers big performance with exceptional accuracy and time-savings for micro-sized components.

The risk of micro-sized components becoming scrap is high. Several things can go wrong: drills run off, drill holes get crooked, tools break, and the workpiece itself can become damaged. With a special drill point angle of 160 degrees, the WTX – Micropilot guarantees maximum positioning accuracy and prevents wandering while drilling to achieve extreme precision within a single run. Since it is designed to co-drill with the WTX – Micro, the usual mirroring required for drilling inclined and curved surfaces with an inclination up to 50 is no longer necessary, saving time and tool changes.

Additionally, the WTX – Micropilot is coated in CERATIZIT’s innovative Dragonskin for optimum chip clearance and extended tool life. It also has spiral internal cooling channels to ensure maximum flow of cooling lubricant for improved surface finish.

About CERATIZIT USA, Inc.

Part of the CERATIZIT Group, CERATIZIT USA designs and manufactures high quality standard and custom tooling for the metalworking industry. CERATIZIT USA, LLC is a solutions and service provider for many different industry segments, including automotive, aerospace, and energy. With a highly specialized staff, expansive product portfolio and an International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) registration, CERATIZIT USA provides manufacturers with the complete application engineering, service and training support needed for maximum productivity and cost-effectiveness.

Easy to use and reliable 

Octomill 06 self-centering inserts allow operators to quickly and securely position inserts with high repeatability. The use of a long insert screw enables indexing of an insert without having to remove the screw from the cutter body. The cutter-insert interface design disconnects cutting edges from support surfaces and mimics the design of a double-sided insert while keeping the positive setting approach of a single-sided solution.

“This separation of cutting edges and support surfaces keeps worn portions of the insert from damaging or negatively impacting the performance of unused edges,” said Seco Product Manager Tobias Jakobi. “Furthermore, the self-centering feature prevents the occurrence of incorrectly positioned inserts that can cause instability, edge and tool breakage, costly work interruptions and the need for rework.”

The Octomill 06 is a top choice for applications featuring unstable setups or thin-walled parts. Featuring a right-handed design with a straight cutting edge, Octomill 06 incorporates a high helix angle of +16° to reduce radial and axial forces and enable high-quality production. The cutter achieves smoother entry and exit and reduces back cutting effects. Additionally, Octomill 06 provides consistent wear along the entire cutting edge.

Flexibility across a wide range of applications 

The multi-insert pocket design of Octomill 06 accommodates face milling, round and moderate high feed inserts. This allows a single cutter body to effectively perform a variety of applications, including face milling, ramping, helical interpolation and profiling. A diverse range of insert grades and geometries provides optimal performance in materials spanning the P, M, K, N, S and H Seco Materials Groups.

About Seco

With its origins in Fagersta, Sweden and present in more than 75 countries, Seco is a leading global provider of metal cutting solutions for indexable milling, solid milling, turning, holemaking, threading and tooling systems. For nearly 100 years, Seco has driven excellence throughout the entire manufacturing journey, ensuring high-precision machining and high-quality output.