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TechTalk

"The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary" - Unknown

Advantages of Custom Solid Carbide Endmills or Drills versus a Conventional Catalog Cutting Tool 

For the past century, the industrial CNC Machine Tool market has been an industry to constantly adapt and change as new technologies & materials have emerged into the marketplace, eternally evolving the manufacturing process. The same goes for end mills and machining techniques; what was once a primarily manual process with traditional catalog High-Speed Steel (HSS) tooling has transformed into a highly automated process using exotic materials. This advancement in technology and processes has also brought on complex metal cutting instruments performing highly sophisticated and precise cuts on extremely rigid milling and turning machines. End mills are far more durable, repeatable, and universal in relevant applications than cutting tools created decades prior. In this article, we will review some benefits a machinist will inherit when using custom solid carbide machine cutting tools compared to conventional/catalog CNC machine cutting tools:

• Rigidity - Across the board, a solid carbide end mill will be much harder, denser and more durable than high volume tool/conventionally produced catalog tooling such as High-Speed Steel (HSS). The finer grain metallurgical structure for these carbide tools means they’re much more challenging than traditional HSS tools, especially for “lights out” unmanned manufacturing, where the tool is being used repeatedly for deep roughing applications. 
• Heat Resistance - For cutting non-ferrous materials such as cast iron, plastic, and other materials, a solid carbide end mill will dissipate heat far better than that of traditional tool catalogs. Because of the advanced coatings with Solid Carbide endmills, it also assists the cutting process with more efficient chip evacuation, thus, not gumming the machine tool’s cutting surface. Generally, the higher the flute count, the better the tool will be with getting those hot chips out and away from the metal being cut. 
• Higher Speeds - Combined with a robust CAT40 tool holder, a machinist/CNC programmer is capable of running 2 to 3 times higher spindle speeds compared to conventional tools. Additionally, this also means being able to increase feed rates on your CNC milling machine at rates higher than if you were running regular tool steel. 
• Tool Life - With better heat/thermal management as well increased hardness, the life of your end mill will often be superior to that without carbide reinforcement. The mechanical engineering behind this caliber of a machine tool will ensure the tool will stay sharp, so as long as the spindle is in operational condition, there’s a potent work holding in place, and proper cutting fluid/coolant is applied through heavy roughing cycles. 
• Surface Finish - For most metals, having a reliable (or coated) CNC metalworking tool will leave a cleaner, smoother surface finish and often with even tighter geometrical tolerancing than conventional end mills/reamers/drills will leave your workpiece. 
• Reduced Downtime - When you aren’t spending time sharpening, re-tooling, calibrating your cheaper machine tools, you’re saving (and making) money when downtime is reduced from your tools doing their job and not compromising quality along the way. 

Since CNC machine tools have evolved over the years, having a durable and repeatable metalworking insert/endmill is nearly the industry standard for most machine shops. Choosing an industry-proven cutting tool can often be beneficial and price conscious to every machine shop/manufacturing facility. Utilizing a durable/hardened tool will wear less frequently than regular tool steel and not require maintenance or sharpening to get the same results. For the high production machinist, highly consider switching up your tooling to something that can take the heat, remain structurally intact against a variety of different materials, and ensure that your tool won’t dull out prematurely. 

Not only will a substantial work holding and tool holder be considered, but the right end mill/reamer/drill is entirely necessary to guarantee proper surface finish while maintaining tool life and dependability. At SCTools, we’ve been working with manufacturing companies on CNC milling and turning applications for over 30 years and are confident in our tools to get the job done! If you have any questions about the benefits of Solid Carbide Endmills or any other cutting tools,

be sure to reach out to us @ sctools.co/CustomTools or call us at (877)737-0987.