Continuous improvement of cutting tools is more than an industry buzzword; it is the life blood of any profitable metal working shop. Learning how to optimize the use of cutting tools can be the key to the lower cycle time and longer tool life.
Cutting equipment have been ever changing in order to function more efficiently. New materials and production techniques greatly influenced their performance and service life. The advancement of cutting tools can be vividly seen in the metal cutting industry. So, if one is familiar with domestic equipment they will find out that industrial tools are based on the same principles and share the same mechanical properties.
Aspects of quality and economy of industrial production processes are to a high degree determined by the selection and the design of the appropriate cutting tool. Cutting equipment is a component most stressed, and therefore limits the performance in mechanic operations. Among various stresses, thermal and mechanical loads affect the cutting equipment edges in a continuous of intermitting way. As a result, good wear resistance, high thermal stability and high mechanical strength are the properties required for cutting materials. Thus, new materials and advance coatings are being developed to prolong tool life.
Cutting Tool Materials
Principal categories of cutting tools include single point lathe tools, multipoint milling tools, drills, reamers, and taps. All of these equipment may be standard catalog items or tooling designed and custom-built for a specific manufacturing need.
Different machining applications require different cutting tool materials.
The ideal cutting equipment material should have all of the following characteristics:
As rates of metal removal have increased, so has the need for heat resistant cutting tools. The result has been a progression from high-speed steels to ceramics and other super hard materials. In industry today, carbide tools have replaced high-speed steels in most applications. These carbide and coated carbide tools cut about 3 to 5 times faster than high speed steels. Every manufacturer of carbide tools offers a variety for specific applications. The proper choice can double tool life or double the cutting speed of the same tool. Shock-resistant types are used for interrupted cutting. Harder, chemically-stable types are required for high speed finishing of steel. More heat-resistant tools are needed for machining the super alloys, like Inconel and Hastelloy.
Two-thirds of all carbide tools are coated. Coated tools should be considered for most applications because of their longer life and faster machining. Coating broadens the application of a specific carbide tool.
Cutting equipment have been ever changing in order to function more efficiently. New materials and production techniques greatly influenced their performance and service life. The advancement of cutting tools can be vividly seen in the metal cutting industry. So, if one is familiar with domestic equipment they will find out that industrial tools are based on the same principles and share the same mechanical properties.
Aspects of quality and economy of industrial production processes are to a high degree determined by the selection and the design of the appropriate cutting tool. Cutting equipment is a component most stressed, and therefore limits the performance in mechanic operations. Among various stresses, thermal and mechanical loads affect the cutting equipment edges in a continuous of intermitting way. As a result, good wear resistance, high thermal stability and high mechanical strength are the properties required for cutting materials. Thus, new materials and advance coatings are being developed to prolong tool life.
Cutting Tool Materials
Principal categories of cutting tools include single point lathe tools, multipoint milling tools, drills, reamers, and taps. All of these equipment may be standard catalog items or tooling designed and custom-built for a specific manufacturing need.
Different machining applications require different cutting tool materials.
The ideal cutting equipment material should have all of the following characteristics:
- Harder than the work it is cutting
- High temperature stability
- Resists wear and thermal shock
- Impact resistant
As rates of metal removal have increased, so has the need for heat resistant cutting tools. The result has been a progression from high-speed steels to ceramics and other super hard materials. In industry today, carbide tools have replaced high-speed steels in most applications. These carbide and coated carbide tools cut about 3 to 5 times faster than high speed steels. Every manufacturer of carbide tools offers a variety for specific applications. The proper choice can double tool life or double the cutting speed of the same tool. Shock-resistant types are used for interrupted cutting. Harder, chemically-stable types are required for high speed finishing of steel. More heat-resistant tools are needed for machining the super alloys, like Inconel and Hastelloy.
Two-thirds of all carbide tools are coated. Coated tools should be considered for most applications because of their longer life and faster machining. Coating broadens the application of a specific carbide tool.
