When it comes to milling cutters, not all tools are created equal. If you want tools that will offer the best performance and last longer, then you need to find tools from solid carbide end mills manufacturers. Carbide is a unique material with a lot of advantages over metallic tools. Today we will be looking at why you should be using carbide cutters in your shop.
While carbide tools may look metallic on the surface, you can see that they are unique if you zoom in a little. The actual “carbide” in carbide tools is tungsten carbide, a ceramic powder. On its own this material obviously cannot be used to construct tools, but it is extremely strong. In order to make tools, ceramic carbide powder is cemented together with a binding material, typically a cobalt steel alloy. The resulting material almost resembles concrete under a microscope, with the carbide acting as the aggregate and the binding metal acting as the cement.
So now that you know what makes carbide so unique, you are probably wondering what makes it superior. While steel alloys like high speed steel(HSS) and cobalt steel are common tool materials, both have to be tempered in order to maintain their strength. This special heating process helps to keep the cutting edges on these tools sharp. Because tempering is a heat based process, tools can lose their temper if they get too hot.
Carbide tools get their cutting power from the ceramic granules embedded in it, meaning there is no tempering involved. Because ceramics can handle extremely high temperatures, you will not have to worry about overheating your tools. This means that if you need to operate at high speeds and feeds, carbide tools are a must have. Many carbide tools will also feature special tool coatings like TiAlN that can help to protect the tool from the fatigue that heat can cause.
In addition to being heat resistant, carbide tools are also extremely rigid. All rotating tools naturally vibrate. This is an unavoidable fact when working with end mills and drill bits. Compared to metallic tools, carbide tools vibrate significantly less. This means that you can operate carbide tools without having to worry as much about tool vibrations. This will improve the finish on your workpiece when working with end mills and will improve your accuracy when performing drilling operations.
The biggest advantage to purchasing tools from reliable solid carbide end mills manufacturers is the lifespan of your tools. While steel tools can easily last for years, carbide tools can easily last a decade under the right conditions. Even with the typically higher initial cost of carbide tools, the longer tool life means that you will usually save money long term when you purchase carbide tools instead of metallic tools. You will also not have to worry about sharpening your end mills as often.
If you are looking for a solid carbide end mills manufacturer to order your tools from, then you need to check out Online Carbide. At www.onlinecarbide.com you will find a great selection of solid carbide end mills and drill bits. All of their tools are ground from high quality micro grain tungsten carbide tool stock and offered at manufacturer direct prices. If you have any questions about the tools they produce or you are interested in having custom cutting tools manufactured for your business, then you can reach out to a member of their team by sending an email to sales@onlinecarbide.com.
