January U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $173.05 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 8.7% from December’s $159.17 million and up 8.7%  when compared with the total of $159.22 million reported for January 2016. With a year-to-date total of $173.05 million, 2017 is up 8.7% when compared with 2016.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools.

Brad Lawton, Chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group states that “The early numbers for the first month of 2017 support the optimistic feelings that are growing in the domestic manufacturing market.  For the export of U.S. made cutting tools it is hoped that the strength of the U.S. Dollar and the Trump Administration trade policies will not destroy this potential business.  We must all wait and see the numbers at the end of the first quarter.”

“The latest data indicate cutting tool shipments are on a somewhat firmer footing in early 2017. The overall trend in durable goods orders and shipments points to firming activity after a lackluster 2016 performance. Likewise, most leading manufacturing indicators show improving domestic and global confidence levels,” says Gregory Daco, Chief U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics. “President Trump’s pro-growth fiscal agenda should stimulate activity by year-end and into 2018, though his protectionist and anti-immigration agenda represent notable downside risks.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool.  Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.

Historical data for the Cutting Tool Market Report is available dating back to January 2012.  This collaboration of AMT and USCTI is the first step in the two associations working together to promote and support U.S.-based manufacturers of cutting tool technology.

December U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $176.04 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 4.4% from November’s $168.69 million and up 12.5%  when compared with the total of $156.49 million reported for December 2015. With a year-to-date total of $2.042 billion, 2016 is down 4.3% when compared with 2015.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools.

“The cutting tool market data continues to show signs of strengthening,” says Steve Stokey, President of USCTI. “ There is a great deal of positive chatter in most manufacturing sectors that would indicate there are high expectations for 2017.   This should drive higher demand for cutting tools.”

Steve Kline, Jr., Director of Market Intelligence at Gardner Business Media adds to the positive forecast by stating that “Cutting tool orders improves the last five months of 2016. In three of the last five months, cutting tool orders increased compared with year prior levels. In fact, December increased 12 percent, which was the fastest rate of growth since December 2014. Gardner’s metalworking business index leads cutting tool orders by six to 12 months. The index has been improving for some time. In January, the index showed that the metalworking industry grew for the first time in nearly two years. Therefore, I expect cutting tool orders to increase in 2017.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool.  Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.

Historical data for the Cutting Tool Market Report is available dating back to January 2012.  This collaboration of AMT and USCTI is the first step in the two associations working together to promote and support U.S.-based manufacturers of cutting tool technology.

April U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $173.64 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 down 5.7% from March’s $184.08 million and down 15.0%  when compared with the total of $204.34 million reported for April 2015. With a year-to-date total of $689.76 million, 2016 was down 10.3%  when compared with 2015.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals actually reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools.

Steve Stokey, President of USCTI, states “The cutting tool numbers continue to be negative in scenarios – month over month, year over year and year to date.  While there is not much good news on the horizon as we head into the typically soft summer months of the business cycle, there is some optimism with the PMI moving over 50, but there is definitely a sense of caution as we move into the next 90 days.”

Although the slower summer months are ahead, there are positive factors to keep in mind while looking forward to the coming months.“The cutting tool sector took a step backwards in April after showing some modest improvements over the last few months. Demand levels continue to reflect a movement to stabilization in a generally weak environment for manufacturing. This reflects the sluggish global economic growth with minimal gains in U.S. industrial production, the strong dollar, weak agriculture, oil and gas activity, and the rising election uncertainty,” according to Eli Lustgarten, Senior Vice President at Longbow Securities. “Current headwinds are likely to continue in the near term with some added pressure from relatively flat automotive demand, material weakening in heavy truck production and ongoing significant weakness in coal mining. Despite talks of a possible interest rate increase from the Fed, we expect some modest improvement in the second half of 2016 as U.S. economic growth drives the robust consumer spending and housing activity.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool.  Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.

Historical data for the Cutting Tool Market Report is available dating back to January 2012.  This collaboration of AMT and USCTI is the first step in the two associations working together to promote and support U.S.-based manufacturers of cutting tool technology.

The HR2 geometry expands Pramet’s range of single-sided inserts for machining a wide range of materials including steels, cast irons and stainless steel. Designed for rough forgings and castings, such as cylinders, shafts and large pins, the HR2 features a positive, stable geometry for improved tool life and performance. Its cutting edge design and wide peripheral land promote increased productivity, while offering reliable chip formation and evacuation at high feeds(0.7 mm/rev). This promotes a continuous production process with less machine downtime, resulting in a more cost-effective operation.

The new chip breaker compliments the existing HR insert which covers semi-roughing to roughing applications.HR2 is available with a new turning grade – T9226 – also launched by Pramet this April. The versatile T9226 grade achieves impressive results in heavy roughing and peeling operations. For these applications it replaces Pramet’s existing 6630 grade.

Providing high insert reliability and durability in adverse cutting conditions, the T9226 offers greater cutting edge strength. This is primarily due to a new functional gradient substrate which contains a higher amount of cobalt binding and finer grain structure.A special treatment added to the coating’s surface promotes reduced adhesion to the workpiece and resistance to the formation of heat-related cracks,resulting in greater operational reliability and longer tool life.In a recent example, machining P4 steel without coolant and in an interrupted cut operation, the T9226 grade lasted for 52 minutes, compared to a competitor grade which operated for just 25 minutes(cutting speed 55m per min, feed 0.8 [mm/rev] and 8mm axial depth of cut).

October U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $177.2 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 3.4% from September’s total, down 15.4% from October 2014* and down 3.4% when compared year-to-date in 2014.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals actually reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools.

“The information from October continues to be the same story for the cutting tool market. We see a slight uptick in October over September which was to be expected.  Our year over year data continues to weaken due to the strong finish of 2014 and a weak 2015,” says Steve Stokey, President of USCTI.    “Members continue to be optimistic about aerospace and automotive markets but see no short to mid-term improvement in the oil and gas industry for their products.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool.  Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels.

Historical data for the Cutting Tool Market Report is available dating back to January 2012.  This collaboration of AMT and USCTI is the first step in the two associations working together to promote and support U.S.-based manufacturers of cutting tool technology.

Kyocera Corporation (President: Goro Yamaguchi) announced  that it will construct a new manufacturing plant in China, aimed at further strengthening the company’s industrial cutting tool business in the country.
Recently, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Kyocera Precision Tools (Ganzhou) Co., Ltd. (herein “KPTG”) located in Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. KPTG was established in January 2015 as a joint venture between Kyocera and a tungsten refining company in China, Ganzhou Grand Sea W&Mo Group Co., Ltd (President: Zeng Qingnin, herein “Ganzhou Grand Sea”), in order to meet the growing demand for industrial cutting tools in the automotive industry in China — where more automobiles are manufactured than any other country in the world.

“The Kyocera Group delivers a diverse range of products, and is working day by day to satisfy customers around the world. Notably, our industrial cutting tool business has achieved remarkable growth in recent years and is expanding globally,” stated Kyocera Corporation Chairman Tetsuo Kuba during a speech given at the groundbreaking ceremony. “With many customers in China, we decided to construct this new manufacturing plant in Ganzhou to further develop our business. We hope that our business in Ganzhou will not only contribute to the region and our company, but also play a role in strengthening the relationship between China and Japan.”

KPTG plans to begin operations at the new plant in January 2016 to produce carbide inserts. The plant will become Kyocera’s fourth manufacturing base for industrial cutting tools in China, in addition to its plants in Dongguan, Zhuhai and Shanghai.

By strengthening its manufacturing capability, Kyocera will be better equipped to respond to the expanding demand in China and aims to further increase its sales in the region.

AT&F, a world leader in large- scale metal fabrication, has expanded the array of services  available to its customers with the addition of a five-axis water jet cutting system. The water jet cutting system allows AT&F to cut and process  a variety of materials including titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, and composite materials, providing a solution when a heat-affected zone is undesirable. The five-axis head design will allow for a variety of intricate  and complex angle cuts from 0-90 degrees, including beveled edges and weld landings. In addition, the system possesses one of the largest cutting envelopes available, able to handle sections of material up to 14 feet by 30 feet and up to 15 inches thick.

The addition of water jet technology allows AT&F to complement its other cutting technologies, giving customers a full spectrum of material cutting services. “This new technology allows us to bring additional services to our customer base,” said Ken Hagan, AT&F’s Vice President of Business Unit Operations. “We are now a one-stop shop for all material-cutting requirements, even on projects that require complex cutting and processing on specialized materials.”AT&F CEO Michael Ripich said the addition of the water jet cutting system is consistent with the company’s key strategy, “We Invest in Customer Success.”“We are excited to offer this service to our customers,” said Ripich. “Our expanded capabilities better serve our customers’ needs, allowing us to do more from a single location and deliver on our promise of BIG innovation.”

Dormer Pramet has launched a comprehensive thread milling program to provide a reliable and versatile threading option.

Available under the Dormer brand, each of the new cutters is recommended for machining most materials, including steel, stainless steel, cast iron, titanium, nickel, copper, aluminium and plastics.

An Alcrona Pro coating and solid carbide substrate provides a tough and wear resistant structure, offering security and reliability, as well as increased performance and longer tool life.

A total of ten versatile milling cutter (J2xx) families have been developed with a mix of popular thread forms including, M, MF, UNC, UNF, G (BSP) and NPT, with or without internal oil feed.

Thread milling offers numerous advantages compared to conventional threading, including increased reliability, smaller chips – supporting continuous machining – improved tool life and accurate tolerance adjustment, whilst it is also suitable for dry machining.

The same cutter can be used for many materials and diameters, as long as the pitch is the same, while Dormer’s J200 and J205 ranges offer the additional possibility to chamfer, providing better quality and accuracy compared with conventional taps.

Ricky Payling, Dormer Pramet’s application specialist for rotary tools, said: “Thread milling is a relatively slow process with measurable time savings on larger diameters. However, the quality of finish and level of accuracy can greatly compensate for the speed of machining.

“The new range of thread milling cutters provides numerous options for the end-user, whether it’s left or right hand internal threads for the vast majority of thread forms and for any material.

“A controlled machine that can make circular paths is required, but our online product selector will suggest the most appropriate thread milling cutter with the relevant data and CNC programme, to make the choice as easy as possible.”

The introduction of the thread milling cutters is part of a wider product launch by Dormer Pramet on 1 April 2015 – the first combined unveiling since Dormer and Pramet merged last year.

Tungaloy Corporation is pleased to announce the expansion of round shanks for DoMiniTurn / External Line. The round shank can be applied to sleeve holder for main and sub spindles on automatic lathes and increases the efficiency in external turning of miniature parts. For this newly developed round shank, the double-sided DXGU inserts are applicable.

DoMiniTurn is the innovative tool that is already well-recognized in such industries as automotive, IT, and medical for its high functionality and productivity in small-part machining using the automatic, Swiss lathe – where one-sided, positive inserts are widely used. With DoMiniTurn’s innovative double-sided insert geometry, however, the cutting force is maintained as low as that of the positive insert while doubling the number of cutting edges, thus dramatically reducing the tool cost.

Responding to the market demand, 10 types of round shanks are available in different diameters and lengths for various machines. This addition of round shanks to the DoMiniTurn / External Line, combined with square shanks which are already available in the market, help increase the customers’ productivity and provide significant cost reduction in a wide range of applications on automatic lathes.

The high-performance cutting tool material Tiger•tec® Silver WPP05S is Walter’s new specialist for roughing steel. The aluminium oxide layer used is 150 % thicker in comparison to conventional layers.
This ensure that inserts can be indexed with the new grade remain wear-resistant even at the highest of temperatures and exhibit a correspondingly long tool life. During a test, forged parts made of 42CrMo4 were machined at a cutting speed of 380 m/min.

The smooth surface with an optimised microstructure ensures a low level of friction. That makes Tiger•tec® Silver WPP05S the first choice for roughing forged parts with high cutting data. The special second generation mechanical post-treatment in combination with a new substrate ensures increased toughness and, as a result, prevents fractures. Due to this development, the new cutting tool material exhibits maximum wear resistance even in the face of plastic deformation and crater wear.

WPP05S offers a high level of productivity during roughing operations in the mass production of components such as forged parts, gear shafts and wheel hubs, while still operating at high cutting speeds without compromising process reliability.