AMB Stuttgart is one of the most important trade fairs in the metalworking industry – every two years, toolmakers, machine manufacturers and suppliers show here what tomorrow’s production will look like. SPK Cutting Tools, a brand of CeramTec, will be exhibiting from 15 to 19 September 2026 in Hall 1, Stand 1B60, and is using the fair to show where ceramic cutting materials and CBN make the difference in practice: in processes that push conventional tools to their limits.
• BST 300 (CBN): high cutting speeds and surface finishes
• LST 350 (SiAlON): roughing and semi-finishing of nickel-based alloys – including through scale
• Grooving of HRSA workpieces with high-pressure cooling: delivers the coolant directly into the cutting zone
• Tungsten- and cobalt-free SiAlON base support for CBN-tipped inserts
HRSA materials such as Inconel and Waspaloy demand a no-compromise machining approach. High temperatures, low thermal conductivity, pronounced work hardening – where other cutting materials reach their thermal limits, ceramic cutting materials and CBN maintain their performance within their respective fields of application. This translates directly into more parts per shift, predictable tool life and no forced move into a slower process window.
At the fair, CeramTec is presenting coordinated tooling solutions for the entire process chain – from the first cut through the scale to the finished contour. “AMB is the right place for us to show our cutting material systems, including the BST 300 as a series product for the first time. For all users who want to get more out of their processes,” says Patrick Leonhardt, Product Manager CBN at SPK Cutting Tools by CeramTec.
Three stages. One system.
The BST 300 CBN insert handles the finishing cut: 200 to 350 m/min, continuous to slightly interrupted cuts, surface finishes down to Ra < 0.8 µm are achievable. Its distinguishing technical feature is an edge hone in the micron range – produced using a newly developed process that makes the effective geometry sharper. Cutting forces and vibration are reduced, and the dimensional accuracy of expensive HRSA components remains stable.
LST 350 turns nickel-based alloys at 150 to 250 m/min with depths of cut up to 3.0 mm, including through the scale and under varying engagement conditions. The SiAlON cutting material is designed for roughing and semi-finishing and holds up where the process is most demanding, both thermally and mechanically. In addition to longitudinal turning, LST 350 also covers profiling and clearing operations; inserts in special geometries are also available.
In grooving, the coolant is discharged directly into the cutting zone through the clamping finger and the grooving blade – at up to 200 bar. This keeps the cutting zone thermally stable and flushes chips out of the narrow groove. This is an advantage that has an immediate effect on process reliability and tool life with tough HRSA materials. The tool system is available in shank and Capto variants, among others.
When process heat becomes a tool
When milling HRSA and hardened materials (≥ 45 HRC), solid-ceramic SiAlON end mills take high-feed milling to a new level. The principle: small depths of cut, high feed rates per tooth – and a cutting material that not only withstands process heat but actively uses it. SiAlON selectively softens the material in the shear zone and makes the machining operation more efficient. In suitable applications, the process runs dry or with air support: reduced coolant-management effort and clearer process control. “The decisive question is not whether ceramic lasts longer. The question is how many parts come out per machine hour. Anyone who uses ceramic within a clearly defined process window shortens machining times, alleviates bottlenecks and can calculate predictable costs per part – and in an economically demanding environment, that is a tangible advantage,” says Frank Hoeing, Head of Application Engineering at SPK Cutting Tools by CeramTec.
Tungsten- and cobalt-free – plus engineering
SPK offers toolmakers a ceramic SiAlON base support for CBN-tipped inserts that is manufactured tungsten- and cobalt-free in Germany. The base support withstands high thermal loads and thus reliably enables high cutting speeds. The ceramic base also proves itself under demanding conditions such as interrupted cuts, high feeds and extreme temperatures. This ensures predictably stable processes and repeatable results. End customers therefore receive an insert concept that meets growing compliance and sustainability requirements – with full process reliability.
Ceramic machining systems deliver their advantage wherever their use is consistently matched to the right process window: output per machine hour increases, and the tooling cost structure becomes decoupled from the raw material price cycles of conventional cutting materials.
The expert team from SPK Cutting Tools by CeramTec will answer specific questions and work through individual application cases in Hall 1, Stand 1B60.
PDF TO DOWNLOAD
