Kennametal has recently been named one of five best-practice partners for outstanding practices in innovation by APQC, a nonprofit organization and internationally recognized leader in benchmarking, knowledge management, measurement, and quality programs. After surveying 100 major corporations in the United States known for their innovation, Kennametal was recognized for efficiencies in ACE (Achieving a Competitive Edge), the stage gated process for bringing new products to market, PPM (Performance Planning and Management) process and the company's overall innovative culture.

The company has launched Beyond, an entire platform of new high-performance turning products comprised a complete line of 11 new grades applicable to steel, stainless steel, and cast-iron turning applications. Due to higher metal-removal rates and extended tool life, these products promise to push productivity 30% higher or more for a broad spectrum of metalworking users.

Adsale: Adsale Chinamac Journal

Baid: Ujjwal (UJ) Baid, Kennametal Senior Product Manager

Adsale: What advantages can Beyond bring to customers?

Baid: Customers will be able to apply Beyond tools across a wide range of cutting parameters with extended tool life and higher productivity as the results. Depending on the application, field tests have shown anywhere from 30% to 300% improvement."

Kennametal has recently been named one of five best-practice partners for outstanding practices in innovation by APQC.

Adsale: Which industry sectors are Beyond targeting on?

Baid: The 11 new Beyond grades consist of five grades and 22 geometries for steel turning; three grades and 10 geometries for cast iron turning; and three grades and eight geometries for stainless steel turning. Manufacturers in the transportation, aerospace, oil and gas, medical, and general engineering industries could realize significant speed, feed, and depth of cut increases depending on the application.

Adsale: How is Beyond different from the conventional products?

Baid: All the new Beyond inserts are CVD (chemical vapor deposition) coated, but whereas conventional CVD coatings are under tensile stress, Beyond inserts undergo a proprietary post-coat treatment on all surfaces to reduce this stress, which improves coating adhesion and reduces micro-chipping. More uniform and reliable wear of the cutting edge results in improved and more consistent tool life.