Cutting Tools & Tooling

The members of the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) predict a tough year ahead for the industry, according to a spring survey conducted by the organization.

Parts manufacturers should head straight to their high-strength round inserts to turn nickel-base alloys.

A parts manufacturer finds that brushing the cutting edges of tools with nylon bristles extends tool life, improves part quality and reduces manufacturing costs.

Machining polymetric composite materials with single-layer diamond abrasive tools.

One of the largest cutting tool companies in the world began as a kitchen-table operation in a remote part of Israel.

Grooving miniature parts requires a conservative cutting approach and a choice between solid-carbide and insertable tools.

Parts manufacturers can choose from various multifunction tools to reduce cycle times and free up tool positions in their machines.

Commercialization of cubic boron nitride coatings has proven elusive, but a two-step process for coating cutting tools with CBN is expected to come to market soon.

Don Nelson, publisher of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, recently sat down with two Sandvik Coromant representatives to learn more about the company's outlook and strategy for the aerospace market, its new CoroMill products and why the company puts such an emphasis on its partnership with end users.

New cutting tool materials are required for new generation airframes.

Travis Biggs, applications engineer, technical service, for Greenleaf Corp., offers the nitty gritty on the tools used in this 1 minute and 40 second video featuring a 5/8" ball nose tool followed by the company's Extreme Feed Mill 1" dia., 4-tooth cutting tool.

Greenleaf Corp. introduced its WG-300 ceramic composite tool material about 25 years ago. The ceramic matrix is reinforced with silicon-carbide "whiskers" that boost toughness. Initially applied in the relatively constant cutting conditions of turning operations, the composite tools provided a significant increase in productivity when roughing aerospace alloys. Shops are now using WG-300 tools in hard milling operations.