Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Carbide Cutting Tool and Insert

Most users of carbide cutting tool and insert believe that the prime method of cutting metals on a small metal cutting lathe should ideally be high-speed steel; this is because it is inexpensive, easy to sharpen, and can even be shaped to make tools. On the other hand, insert tooling is expensive and cannot be sharpened further or reshaped, however, it can prove to be a lifesaver at times since these have often been found to come in handy when all other tools fail.

Carbide cutting tool and insert is a necessity in most lathe facility providing outfits. The most striking difference between carbide tools and inserted carbide tools is that the tip of the tool is held on to it with the help of a screw rather than fixed on to a piece made up of steel. This feature in fact, has a lot to do with the success of insert tools in recent times. This is possible owing to the fact that steel and carbide have slightly different expansion rates, which may cause premature failure of the carbide tip. It can be considered surprising by many that a small screw would be able to hold these inserts firmly enough to accurately cut metal, but fact is that they do, that too successfully. An instance of the extent to which an extremely efficient and capable carbide cutting tool and insert can easily assist in running 20-horsepower computer lathes that can remove metal at a rate of 2 pounds, that is almost 1 kilogram per minute; it has been seen that with these tools chance are that you will have very few instances of failures. The only reason why insert tools should find a place in your premises should be because they are ready to use, and come in handy in an exigency. Apart from this, they tend to hold their cutting edge most of the time while cutting exotic metals or even abrasive materials, and can also substantially speed up the cutting process. Another advantage is that insert tools don’t need cutting oils to function well, but it has been found to help in a small manner when used; it is hence advisable to use a few drops now and then.

While considering carbide cutting tool and insert equipment, normal cutting speed rules don’t necessarily have to be considered to the same extent as while using high-speed steel. This is owing to the fact that stainless steel can be cut at triple the rate over high-speed steel with these tools. This in turn would put you in a better horsepower range. Another interesting fact is that as against carbide cutting tool and insert equipments, you can get a better finish on some steels such as cold rolled varieties, by turning up the RPM or Rotations Per Minute.


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