SECO TOOLS AB

Their core work

Seco Tools is a major Swedish manufacturer of metal cutting tools and tooling solutions for industrial machining — milling, turning, drilling, and related operations. In H2020 projects, they contributed deep expertise in cemented carbide materials, superhard tool development, and thermal management in metal cutting processes. Their research participation focuses on replacing critical raw materials (like tungsten) in cutting tools, improving machining of difficult superalloys for aerospace, and advancing fundamental understanding of heat generation during cutting. They bring real industrial manufacturing capability and decades of materials science knowledge to research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Seco Tools' H2020 activity spans a narrow window (2016–2018 start dates), making evolution analysis limited. Their earliest project (Flintstone2020) focused on materials science — finding alternatives to critical raw materials like tungsten in cemented carbides. Subsequent projects shifted toward machining process optimization: aerospace superalloy machining (STIMULANT) and thermal modelling during cutting (MoMenT). This suggests a progression from "what the tool is made of" toward "how the tool performs in demanding applications."

Moving from materials composition research toward process-level understanding and optimization of metal cutting, particularly for high-value aerospace applications.

How they like to work

Seco Tools operates mostly as a participant (2 of 3 projects) but also stepped up to coordinate MoMenT, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship project. With 14 unique partners across 10 countries from just 3 projects, they work in moderately sized international consortia. Their participation across different funding schemes (RIA, Clean Sky 2, MSCA) shows flexibility in adapting to different collaboration formats — from large industrial research actions to individual researcher hosting.

Despite only 3 projects, Seco Tools built connections with 14 partners across 10 countries, indicating broad European reach rather than reliance on a small local network. Their partnerships span both academic institutions (MSCA fellowship) and industrial consortia (Clean Sky 2).

What sets them apart

Seco Tools is one of the world's leading cutting tool manufacturers, giving them an unusual position in research consortia: they are not just a research partner but an end-user and potential industrializer of project results. Their combination of deep materials science (cemented carbides, superhard coatings) with large-scale manufacturing capability means research outcomes can move directly toward market application. For consortium builders, they offer both technical credibility in machining science and a clear path to industrial uptake.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Flintstone2020
  Largest project by funding (EUR 324,375), addressing the strategic EU priority of reducing dependence on critical raw materials like tungsten in industrial tooling.
• MoMenT
  Seco Tools' only coordinator role — a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship, demonstrating their willingness to host and mentor early-career researchers in thermal machining science.