Shops creating precision small-part, Swiss-type and medical components that will touch the lives of countless individuals need tooling that can keep up and meet the highest requirements for health and safety, and Kennametal is uniquely capable to serve as your partner for superior medical solutions.

The Mini Members of the KM Quick-Change Lineup

Built off of the internationally renowned KM Quick-Change modular platform, KM Micro is a smaller, more compact solution used on Swiss-type machines that’s ideal for navigating footprint limitations, while KM Mini serves for the conventional replacement of stick tools on standard lathe turrets up to 30 horsepower (22kw). KM Mini Carbide inserts can also be changed outside of your machine, or a separate cutting head can be staged and ready for a quick exchange. Some impressive stats Kennametal has seen from customers using KM Mini include:

• Reduced insert exchange times by up to 60%

• Shredded machine setup times by up to 80%

• Minimized or entirely removed need for test cuts

These are the kind of game-changing numbers that take time and cost savings to the next level for shops demanding precision small parts solutions. And both platforms are engineered with face and taper contact designs, which makes them perfect for the Swiss-style machine tool industry—but doesn’t limit them to it.

Elevating KM Micro with Precision Cooling at Every Turn

This compact solution now delivers an even bigger impact with the recent addition of HPCR (high-pressure coolant riser) Clamping Units. These through-coolant units are for smaller toolholders, featuring a flexible modular design with two options for coolant delivery. First, a riser and coolant nozzle, which ensures coolant hits the turning insert’s cutting edge of any style turning insert and second, an internal port that drives coolant directly to the cutting heads of grooving and cutoff tools.

• Optional dual coolant delivery system for reduced heat and enhanced chip control at the cutting edge

• Easy insert replacement with front clamp designed heads for Swiss-type lathes

• Flexible quick-change capabilities with A4™ and Beyond Evolution™ heads for cut-off and grooving

• Primarily for Swiss-type lathes, but compatible with a wide range of machines

It’s like the perfect balance of keeping things cool while you heat up your operation speed. Here’s what customers have noted:

• Up to 40% increase in tool life

• Improved chip control

• Reduced potential for re-cutting chips

• Safer with eliminated need for manual removal of long, coiled chips

KM Micro: Custom Solutions

Kennametal's team is prepared for when your most intricate projects demand solutions that can’t be found in a standard product offering. Kennametal’s custom tooling is tailored to your unique specifications but always meets rigorous tolerances with both accuracy and functionality.

• Static flange mount clamping units (MCUs): Kennametal's standard offering is ideal for and meets most customer needs, but for more complex operations we offer a wide variety of custom static flange mount clamping units in any orientation or configuration to meet your machine or application requirements

• Rotating units: This is a solution that not just any company can deliver on, but because Kennametal's rotating units accept such a wide range of drilling and milling heads and collet holders, the range of tooling possibilities with them can seem endless—in the best way.

• Gang plates and tool blocks: When Kennametal's engineers are designing these custom solutions, on average they’re adding 1-2 additional cutting tool locations versus the original machine manufacturer design... amping up their processing and programming capabilities so that components previously deemed impossible to manufacture become a breeze to machine.

This article was previously featured on Kennametal's blog.