Cutting Tool Composition

The performance of a cutting tool in a specific application is strongly influenced by its physical makeup. A carbide cutting tool is manufactured with a mixture of tungsten and cobalt (the binder that holds the ingredients together), with any number of variations in carbide grain size and ratio of carbide to binder. Preferred blends have been developed over time for effectiveness with different cutting depths and widths as well as workpiece materials.

“A Formula for Cutting Tool Success” takes a closer look at the engineering behind a high performance cutting tool and examines the process that one cutting tool manufacturer has developed to deliver a tool that maintains a sharp edge and long tool life. The article then provides a look into one customer’s operation that is seeing great savings because of the tooling’s longevity.

For another application story covering a company’s pursuit toward the optimal cutting tool for its application, read “Shop Improves Turning with Indexable Coated Carbide Inserts.” This shop retooled a heavy duty OD turning and facing job for gummy 4130 steel. It tripled the material removal rate and more than doubled tool life after making this change.