Kennametal and Sumitomo Electric have signed a licensing agreement under which Sumitomo Electric will provide and support Kennametal's new and advanced KM4X spindle connection solution to Sumitomo Electric customers globally. Sumitomo Electric, a leading global supplier of electric wire, optical fibres and cutting tool products, sees significant benefit for its manufacturing customers.

"The KM4X spindle connection is the most rigid system in the world today. This design enables manufacturing companies to maximize their capital investments. KM4X enables higher metal removal rates, which facilitates higher machine tool utilization and reduced cost per part, while increasing the manufacturer's available capacity," says John R Tucker, Vice President and President of the Industrial Business Segment for Kennametal Inc. "Having an innovative technology partner like Sumitomo Electric supply the KM4X connection will create a powerful production advantage for manufacturing companies around the world."

The spindle connection, the interface between the machine tool's spindle and toolholder, has to provide the torque and bending load capacity compatible with machine-tool specifications. Cutting forces, particularly in roughing or machining high-strength materials, generate bending moments that will exceed the interface's limits prior to reaching torque limits. By combining high clamping force and optimised interference levels, KM4X provides a robust connection, extremely high stiffness, and bending load capacity for greatly improved performance in machining high-strength alloys and other materials. This means extremely high metal removal rates and more completed parts per day.

Celebrating its 75th year as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc delivers productivity to customers seeking peak performance in demanding environments. The company provides innovative wear-resistant products, application engineering and services backed by advanced material science, serving customers in 60 countries across diverse sectors of aerospace, earthworks, energy, industrial production, transportation and infrastructure.