HORN: New Generation Ball Track Milling

New generation of Ball Nose Endmills

With the new KX system, HORN is launching a high-performance solution for the economical and reliable machining of ball bearing tracks. HORN developed the system specifically to meet the increasing demands for precision, flexibility and productivity in the production of constant velocity joints. The system covers a wide range of components and offers three sizes. Flexible machining strategies enable both soft and hard machining – from roughing and chamfering to finish milling. Customers can adapt the strategy precisely to their process requirements, ensuring a high level of cost-effectiveness.

With the KX system, HORN has considerably increased the performance of the tool system. Soft-cutting cutting heads with defined edge preparations enhance process reliability. Precise internal coolant positioning and a newly developed interface improve rigidity. Practical benchmarks confirm the performance: Users significantly increase cutting values and noticeably reduce cycle times. Depending on the component, they shorten the machining time by several seconds per workpiece and sustainably increase productivity.

Constant velocity joints are used in every car and are also known as homokinetic joints. Their purpose is to transmit uniform torque and angular speed from the drive shaft to a second shaft mounted at an angle to it. In other words, constant velocity joints transmit rotary motion uniformly to the next shaft. The joints are most widely used in vehicle construction for power transmission from the gearbox to the drive wheels. Constant velocity joints can transmit rotational movements at an angle of up to 50 degrees. In addition to fixed ball joints, sliding constant velocity joints are also used. They allow not only angular movement, but also axial movement so that power transmission is not interrupted when steering or during movement of the suspension.

At the heart of a homokinetic joint are the balls, which roll in precisely milled tracks. The ball tracks have a very tight manufacturing tolerance and a high surface finish is essential. The tight tolerances and the manufacturing quality determine how long the service life of the joints will be. The form tolerances of the parameters are to within microns.

KURT: Back-to-Back Vise Mounting

Back-to-Back Vise Mounting Maximizes Machine Space with Minimal Cost

In high-efficiency machining environments, every inch of table space and every second of spindle time matters. If you’re running horizontal machining centers or palletized systems, optimizing your workholding strategy can unlock significant gains in throughput and consistency. That’s exactly where Kurt Workholding’s custom back-to-back vise mounting solutions deliver measurable impact. Most Kurt double and single station vises can be mounted back-to-back including the DX series, VersatileLock, TriLock, XL, HD690 and HDL vises.

Double the Workholding, Not the Footprint

Kurt’s back-to-back vise configuration is engineered to maximize part density within your existing machine envelope. By mounting vises in opposing orientations on a single base, you can machine multiple parts in one cycle—reducing setup frequency and increasing spindle utilization without expanding your machine footprint. This configuration also eliminates the cost of a tombstone or a full cluster tower setup.

This approach is particularly effective in:

Horizontal machining centers (HMCs)
Palletized automation systems
High-volume production environments

The result: more parts per cycle, fewer interventions, and improved overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Built Around Your Process

Unlike off-the-shelf workholding, Kurt’s back-to-back solutions are not one-size-fits-all. Through the Custom Engineered Workholding Team, each setup is tailored to your specific application, machine constraints, and part geometry (we recommend Carvesmart soft jaws).

A key advantage: Kurt can mount most vises on multiple base options including: 300 mm, 320 mm, 400 mm, 500 mm, and 630 mm bases, making them ideal for integration into standardized HMC pallets and modular fixturing systems. This ensures compatibility with existing infrastructure while enabling scalable production.

Flexible Configuration Options

Kurt’s custom engineering approach gives you the flexibility to configure your system exactly how your process demands. Options include:

Vise Selection Compatibility
Integrate a wide range of Kurt vises based on your clamping force, jaw style, and precision requirements.
Base Plate Customization
300 mm to 630 mm base options designed for seamless mounting on pallets or direct to machine tables.
Jaw and Workholding Adaptations
Incorporate Carvesmart edge-gripping jaws or soft jaws, or application-specific gripping solutions for complex geometries. We are your part-gripping experts!
Hydraulic or Manual Actuation
Choose the actuation method that aligns with your automation level and cycle time goals. Kurt offers great solutions for pneumatic and hydraulic applications.
Repeatability & Precision Alignment
Engineered for consistent part location across cycles, reducing variation and secondary operations.

Designed for Horizontal Machining Efficiency

Back-to-back vise mounting is especially powerful in horizontal machining environments. By presenting multiple workpieces to the spindle in a single index, you reduce idle time and take full advantage of multi-sided machining capabilities. Vises can also be configured for multiple part operations in a single machine setup.

When paired with pallet changers, this setup enables:

Continuous operation with minimal operator input
Faster job changeovers
Improved cycle time consistency
Higher throughput per shift

KNOLL: Centrifugal Pumps

KNOLL Centrifugal Pumps are available as submersible or block pumps. These flow machines are used primarily on machine tools to convey cooling lubricants. As return pumps, they transport the chips/cooling lubricant mixture to filters/separators. They then supply the machines again with the cleaned cooling lubricant. Thanks to their solid and robust design, the KNOLL coolant pumps have a high load capacity and a long durability.

Block Pumps

BS 32, BS 40, BS 50

Self priming KNOLL block pumps of the BS series are pumps which transport contaminated cooling lubricant with high air content. Thanks to the solid and robust design, KNOLL block pumps are extremely reliable and have a long durability.

Clean Coolant Pumps

TG 25, TG 40, TG 50

KNOLL clean coolant pumps TG are cooling lubricant pumps that convey slightly contaminated media. These pumps are able to supply machines with cleaned cooling lubricant (incl. residual dirt).

Dirt Coolant Pumps

TF 40, TF 50, TS 40, TSK 40, TSL 40, TSL 50, TSL 65

KNOLL dirt coolant pumps TF, TS, TSK and TSL are cooling lubricant pumps that convey very contaminated media. These pumps are able to transport the chip/cooling lubricant mixture to filters or separators.

Shredder Pumps

TSC 50, TSC 65

KNOLL shredder pumps TSC are cooling lubricant pumps with an integrated shredder for aluminum chips. These pumps are able to shred long aluminum chips into pump-appropriate size and to convey them to the central preparation station with the help of cooling lubricant. Therefore, an additional chip reducer is not necessary.

Please contact us for more information on KNOLL Centrifugal Pumps

Link: KNOLL Centrifugal Pump Datasheet

Link: Energy Efficiency White Paper with KNOLL Frequency Inverters

HORN: Efficient Processing of Modern Materials

The alloying of lead in metallic materials has a positive effect on the machining process. Due to the EU’s REACH and ROHS regulations, the time of these easy-to-machine materials is coming to an end in many applications. However, reliable machining must still be possible in the future. With its broad tool portfolio, Paul Horn GmbH has a suitable solution for almost every application.

The main problem when machining lead-free alloys, be it brass or free-cutting steel, is the lack of reliable chip breaking. But what exactly is the effect of the alloy component lead, which is toxic to humans? During machining, the soft metal creates predetermined breaking points in the alloy, as lead forms small nests or inclusions in the alloy structure. These ensure good chip breaking and low cutting forces during machining. Furthermore, the heavy metal acts like a lubricating film, which has a positive effect on tool wear.

The changeover was initially a challenge. The good cutting properties of the lead-alloyed materials were lost. In addition, the wear on the cutting edge increased significantly. This was remedied by grooving and longitudinal turning with chip-breaking geometries from the steel sector and special laser-cut geometries. Extensive investigations show that chip-breaking geometries for steels with medium strength in particular work very well with lead-free materials.

During internal boring, adapted geometries also ensure reliable chip breaking. One of the biggest challenges in internal machining is long chips. These often occur during bore machining. They wrap around the tool, clog bores or, in the worst case, lead to tool breakage. Previously, specially lasered or ground chip form geometries were used for this purpose. However, this was associated with a corresponding cost factor for the cutting insert. With the new Type 105 Supermini and the Type Mini with I geometry, Horn has succeeded in developing universal boring tools with sintered chip form geometry. The tools offer high process reliability in use thanks to good chip control. The cutting edge geometry extends far into the corner radius of the insert. This ensures chip control even with small infeeds. The geometry can be used universally for different material groups and is suitable for internal, face, copy and reverse turning.

Please contact us for more information on the efficient machining of modern materials.

Hommel+Keller: Roller Burnishing Tools

High Process Reliability with Short Turnaround Time

Roller Burnishing Tools from Hommel+Keller Präzisionswerkzeuge GmbH, Germany are the ideal solution for users who require a very smooth and simultaneously hardened surface – in the shortest possible machining time. With roughness depths below Rz < 2.0 μm, roller burnishing tools offer an economical alternative to conventional fine machining methods. Thanks to their compact design, the roller burnishing tools can be used directly in the existing machining center – without special machines and without additional clamping.

Features & Benefits :

Spring force up to 450 N, spring travel 2 mm
Three roller types: R0.4 | R0.6 | R1.0 mm
Strengthening of the surface layer -> higher fatigue strength
Very low investment, fast amortization

Please contact us for more information on Roller Burning Tools, Knurling Tools and Marking Tools from Hommel+Keller Präzisionswerkzeuge GmbH, Germany.