Performance meets efficiency

The current market situation is putting pressure on companies that rely on carbide tools: rising raw material costs, volatile supply chains, and limited planning predictability are weighing heavily on the industry. Fette Werkzeugtechnik – a member of the LMT Tools family and a specialist in gear cutting tools – offers a high-performance and cost-effective alternative in the form of the SpeedCore hob cutter. This innovative hob is made from a specially developed high-performance high-speed steel; it enables cutting speeds up to 50% higher than those of conventional tools made from PM-HSS, while simultaneously ensuring high process reliability.

Carbide tools offer high performance capabilities, yet they are inextricably linked to critical raw materials such as tungsten and cobalt. For users, this means that tool costs and availability are currently difficult to forecast due to the strained raw material and procurement situation. Particularly in series production, this uncertainty can evolve into an economic risk. Consequently, cutting material concepts that combine high productivity with greater cost and supply stability are increasingly coming into focus. One such solution is the SpeedCore from Fette Werkzeugtechnik.
Innovative Material Concept

The hob cutter is manufactured from a specially developed high-performance high-speed steel, bridging the gap between traditional PM-HSS (powder metallurgy high-speed steel) and carbide. Its unique properties are derived from specifically engineered intermetallic phases that enhance the cutting material's hot hardness and thermal stability. As a result, the SpeedCore can withstand higher thermal loads and enables faster cutting speeds than conventional PM-HSS tools. At the same time, the cutting material possesses the necessary toughness to ensure reliable process stability. Users can significantly boost productivity on their existing equipment – and simultaneously reduce unit costs – without the need to invest in new machinery. Process Know-How as a Decisive Performance Factor

Alongside the cutting material itself, process know-how is a decisive factor in determining whether the SpeedCore fully realizes its technical and economic potential. Fette Werkzeugtechnik views the machining process as a holistic system comprising the tool, workpiece, machine, and machining strategy. Process parameters are individually tailored to the specific cutting material, component geometry, machine kinematics and stability, as well as thermal and mechanical boundary conditions. "Unlike generic parameter recommendations, our design approach at LMT Tools is specific to the material and application at hand. The goal is to utilize the most economically efficient process window possible without compromising process reliability," emphasizes Raphael Lienau, Managing Director of Fette Werkzeugtechnik.

Machining time reduced by around 50%

In an application involving the production of a Module 9 gear for a planetary gearbox in mining machinery, a SpeedCore cutter featuring a Nanosphere 2.0 coating was pitted against a TiN-coated tool made of EMo5Co5 – a cobalt-alloyed high-speed steel (HSS-E). The result: Machining time dropped from 50.9 minutes to 26.2 minutes. This represents a reduction of approximately 50%. With this achievement, the SpeedCore is breaking into performance realms previously reserved for multi-part tools with carbide cutting edges. Its single-piece design offers additional advantages in terms of precision, tool costs, and effective tooth count.

Efficient gear manufacturing

The SpeedCore represents a high-performance and cost-effective alternative for applications where carbide is not always the optimal solution due to cost, availability, or process-related constraints. At the same time, this hobbing cutter demonstrates how innovation in materials science—combined with profound process expertise – can help address current challenges in gear manufacturing, such as cost pressures, dependence on raw materials, and limited planning predictability. “The decisive strength lies not only in the material itself, but in the ability to specifically integrate it into application-specific processes. It is only through this integration that true added value is created for the user,” says Raphael Lienau.