Seco has introduced TP3502, a new CVD-coated Duratomic turning grade developed for stable and predictable tool life across a broad range of ISO P steel turning applications. The new grade combines advances in coating technology, insert manufacturing and edge preparation to provide a balance of wear resistance and toughness under demanding machining conditions.
TP3502 is designed as a general-purpose P35 grade for steel turning, particularly in applications involving varying material hardness, complex component geometries, interrupted cuts and mixed cutting conditions. Seco said the grade is intended to allow manufacturers to increase cutting data while maintaining process stability and component quality.
The grade is suitable for low-carbon through high-alloy and high-carbon steels, as well as selected stainless steels, ductile irons and powder-metal components. Its application range covers operations such as external and internal turning, shoulder turning, copy turning and machining involving interrupted cuts or varying engagement conditions.
At the centre of TP3502 is a new CVD coating concept combined with an improved edge preparation. According to Seco, this combination provides a more predictable wear pattern and improves tool-life performance compared with the previous TP3501 grade, while keeping cutting forces under control. The design is intended to allow higher cutting speeds or longer cuts between indexing without compromising process reliability.
The grade has been developed for real-world steel-turning conditions where workpiece hardness, geometry and cutting engagement can change during an operation. Seco said the combination of a robust carbide substrate, CVD coating and edge preparation provides the toughness required for interrupted machining while maintaining wear resistance at moderate and high cutting speeds.
“With TP3502, the focus is on improving process reliability in everyday steel turning,” said Mikael Lindholm, Global Product Manager General ISO Turning at Seco. “This stability allows manufacturers to increase cutting data and simplify production planning.”
TP3502 is also designed to cover a broad range of components, including drive and axle shafts, transmission gears, differential housings, planetary gears, synchronising rings, pistons, flanges and pulleys. Seco positions the grade as a single insert solution for a wide range of general ISO-P steel-turning applications, which can reduce the need for multiple grades across different machining conditions.
The Duratomic technology used in TP3502 is based on a CVD aluminium-oxide coating process in which coating components are controlled at the atomic level. Seco says this enables it to adjust the coating’s mechanical, thermal and chemical properties to achieve the required combination of wear resistance and edge toughness for specific applications.
The new grade also incorporates features intended to support digital manufacturing and sustainability. Chrome-used edge detection allows operators to identify which cutting edges have already been used, helping them make fuller use of the available edges. A Data Matrix Code provides traceability and supports digital tracking of individual inserts throughout their use.
The launch expands Seco’s Duratomic portfolio for general steel turning and provides manufacturers with a grade designed to maintain consistent performance when machining conditions vary. By combining coating development, carbide substrate technology, edge preparation and digital identification, TP3502 is aimed at improving tool-life predictability and simplifying production planning across a wide range of ISO-P applications.
