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2023年05月

Lathe Cutting Tools: Different Types of Tools for Turning

September 23, 2023

Lathe cutting tools are tools mounted on a lathe (wood/hand/ CNC) applicable in producing turned parts. They move along the lathe’s axis, and their path determines the workpiece’s final shape.

There are several lathe non-CNC and CNC, each type with unique features and designs that determines supported lathe cutting operation and outright applications. As a result, choosing the right cutting tool requires an in-depth understanding of the tool. This article talks about common tools for the lathe, their design, features, and applications. Let’s get right to it.

Many types of cutting tools used on a lathe or CNC lathe are groupable into four main categories: materials, operations, structure, and feed direction. Below are the different lathe cutting tools that fall under each category.

Many materials are suitable for making tools used on a lathe, each with unique characteristics. As a result, each lathe cutting tool has properties based on the material’s inherent mechanical properties. Below are the common lathe cutting tools based on the material used.

High-speed Steel(HSS)

High-speed steel contains elements like tungsten, carbon, vanadium, and chromium. Cutting tools made using this material are known for their extreme hardness, strength, and wear/heat resistance. Furthermore, they have high speed suitable for rough and semi-finish machining.

Carbide

Carbide lathe cutting tools are hard and brittle. Therefore, they are compatible with virtually all materials. However, they are expensive, making their use limited in part manufacturing.

Diamond

Lathe cutting tools made from diamonds are very hard. As a result, they are suitable for working with all materials. Nevertheless, like carbide tools, they are costly, which limits their industrial application.

Cubic Boron Nitride

Cubic Boron Nitride is the next in line in terms of hardness. They are durable, abrasion resistant, and suitable for rough machining and intermittent cutting, especially workpiece cast iron.

Lathe cutting tools are also categorized based on the machining operation. Below are the common tools used in each lathing operation.

Turning Tungsten Steel Inserts tools

Turning tools are applicable in removing materials along the length of a workpiece. Consequently, it leads to a reduction in the diameter of the workpiece. There are two types:

Rough turning tools: Rough turning tools are those that are used to remove large amounts of material from a workpiece in a single pass. Therefore, they are typically used to create rough shapes or to prepare surfaces for subsequent finishing operations.

Finish turning tools: Finish turning tools are used to remove small amounts of material from a workpiece in order to create a smooth, finished surface.

Chamfering tools

These lathes’ cutting tools are suitable for chamfering, i.e., producing a slanting edge. Turning tools are also suitable for chamfering. However, they must be set at the right angle to the workpiece. Cermet Inserts Moreover, they become obsolete when the inclination angle is high.

Thread Cutting tools

Thread cutting tools are suitable for making spiral thread patterns on cylindrical parts. Generally, they have a nose angle that depends on the intending thread angle. Furthermore, the tool’s cross-section will affect the thread’s pitch.

Facing tools

Facing tools utilizes the side cutting edge to remove the thin layer of materials and produce a smooth surface.

Forming tools

A forming tool combines a turning and grooving tool applicable in making complex shapes at a go. While the turning tool will do the same job, a forming tool is ideal as it increases accuracy and reduces cycle time.

Grooving tools

These tools are applicable in making grooves on a workpiece with cylindrical surfaces. There are several shapes of grooves determined by the lathes machine tool shape. Common ones are V-shaped and square cutting tools.

Boring tools

A boring tool is a cutting tool characterized by a boring bar with a cutting tool at its end. So, it is applicable in working and increasing the diameter of a hole.

Knurling tools

Knurling tools have two or more metal rolling wheels with embossed patterns. Usually, they are applicable in making indents on a workpiece to increase its grips.

There are three major types of lathe cutting tools based on their structure. They are:

Single Body tools

They come from a single piece of material and are designed to have a specific shape, size, and geometry. As a result, they are the most common lathe machine tools for their speed and strength.

Welding lathe cutting tools

These tools have a head and rod made from different materials joined via welding. Generally, the flank comes from materials such as carbide, known for its strength and durability, while the body can come from different metals. Due to the material difference, they deliver less cutting force than single-body tools.

Clamp lathe cutting tools

These cutting tools are similar in material composition to welding tools. However, instead of a welding tool, the clamp lathe tool is formed by placing the insert (i.e., the cutting tool) on a handlebar. Generally, clamp lathe cutting tools are dexterous and replaceable. Therefore, their properties, such as strength and durability, depending on the type of inserts.

There are three major types of lathe cutting tools based on feed direction. They are:

Right-Hand lathe cutting tools

These tools remove materials when transporting them from right to left. They have a design similar to the human hand. This is because the right thumb indicates the direction of the feed, and the main cutting edge is on the left side of the tool.

Left-Hand lathe cutting tools

These tools remove materials when transporting them from left to right. According to the human hand design, the left thumb denotes the feed direction, and the main cutting edge is on the right side of the tool.

Round Nose Lathe Cutting Tools

These tools can move from left to right or right to left as they have no side rake and back rake angles. They are suitable for machining operations that require a smooth surface.

Please Note: There are other lathe cutting tools with different applications. You should ensure you talk to a professional CNC machinist or contact Estoolcarbide on the perfect one.

We all know that the perfect job needs the right tools. Selecting the right lathe cutting tool is very important to get accurate results on a workpiece. Below is a list of ways you can choose the right lathe cutting tool:

Coatings are materials applied to the external parts of a cutting tool to increase its mechanical properties and aesthetics. Furthermore, they are important as coated lathe cutting tools last longer than uncoated tools. As expected, there are several coatings, including Titanium Nitride(TiN), Titanium Carbide (TiC), and Aluminum Oxide, each with their inherent properties.

The mechanical properties of the workpiece will play a huge role in choosing the right lathing cutting tool. The most basic selection process depends on hardness, as hard materials should only be turned with hard-coated or uncoated tools. This will prevent the chipping of the tools during the machining operation. For example, cutting tools made from diamond and Cubic Boron Nitride are known for their strength and suitability for hard materials.

Each lathing operation requires a specific set of skills and tooling. As a result, you should ensure you choose the right tool based on the operation. For example, turning tools are applicable in removing materials along the length of a workpiece. However, they are not the right ones for forming operations. Other consideration includes the cutting direction.

Also, consider the tool and part shape when selecting a lathe cutting tool. For example, during facing operations, when you want to create a cube shape on a material, you can use a rectangular facing tool.

Although lathe machine tools have different designs for their functions and applications, they all have specific parts in common. Below are the parts commons to every type of lathe cutting tool.

This is the part connected to the lathe. It is the thickest part of the tool, with mostly a rectangular cross-section.

This is the part of the lathe cutting tool on which the chip flows during lathing operations.

This is the part that opposes and interacts with the workpiece. It can be major or minor and, together with the side of the cutting tool, forms the cutting edge.

This part is responsible for the tool’s cutting action. The cutting edge depends on the tool. For example, a single-point tool will have two cutting edges and can be cut using the two surfaces.

This is the main and minor cutting-edge intersection. It has a curvature that increases its strength, longevity, and ability to make a smoother cut.

This is formed by the tool face and line perpendicular to the body. It determines the direction of the chip flow.

When looking from the front, the side relief angle is the angle made by the major flank with the shank surface perpendicular to the cutting tool’s base. It prevents the major flank from rubbing against the workpiece.

When looking from the side, it is the angle of the flank leading edge made with the line normal to the tool’s base. It prevents the minor flank from rubbing against the workpiece.

It is the angle between the face and a plane parallel to the base. A high rake angle will increase sharpness but decrease strength and vice versa.

This is the angle the end cutting edge makes with a line perpendicular to the tool’s body and tangent to the nose. It prevents the tool from touching the workpiece’s machined surface.

The angle the side cutting edge makes with a line parallel to the tool’s body. Therefore, it plays an important role in the cutting force and chip thickness during lathing operations.

A lathe can perform various machine operations. Below are the most common cutting tool operations you can perform on a workpiece.

Turning is the most common cutting tool operation in machining. It involves creating a cylindrical part of a precise geometry by removing excess materials from the workpiece. In general, this can be automated in CNC turning or manual, as seen in other lathing operations.

This cutting operation involves reducing the workpiece length to form the desired parts. It involves using the cutting tool to cut off the part perpendicularly.

This involves producing a canted surface on the cylindrical workpiece edge. It is applicable in reducing damages done to sharp edges

Knurling involves using two or more metal rolling wheels to create embossed patterns on a cylindrical workpiece. Therefore, it is applicable in increasing the grips of a product.

There’s no need to worry about choosing the right lathe cutting tools when you can simply get a team of experts to do it for you. Estoolcarbide is your one-stop shop for all your machining needs. We offer a variety of CNC turning services, including facing, chamfering, knurling, etc. Whether you need a prototype or low-volume machined parts, you can be sure to get high-quality production parts. Just upload your CAD files today, and you will get an instant quote and free DFM.

Lathe cutters are crucial tools in CNC machining. They come in different types, which determines their operations and functions. As a result, choosing the right tool is important for a successful machining operation.

What are the functions of lathe cutting tools?

Lathe cutting tools function in the cutting part of a workpiece to give a required shape. Cutting the parts can occur via several operations such as chamfering, and turning.

What are the properties to be considered before choosing a lathe cutting tool material?

When you want to select the material of a lathe cutting tool, you need to check for its hardness, toughness, and heat resistance.

Which of the cutting tool materials has the highest quality?

Because of their hardness and cutting speed, diamond lathe cutting tools are the best. However, they are costly, which limits their industrial use.


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What-to-know about Surface Roughness

We are aware of that surface roughness means a lot in manufacturing industry. When the concept is recalled to your mind, there must be some common textures on machined parts, such as bright mirror surface, matte, and dull polish. They are what different surface roughness embodies in macroscopic condition.

As is known to us, asperity of a parts surface can be profiled as a series of jagged valleys in which there are crest, through, and spacing between them.

As a concept describing surfaces microscopic structure, surface roughness in fact is the length S between these crests(or troughs, usually below 1mm) and depth Z from trough to crest shown in the following diagram.

In general, we differentiate varying surface condition according to the range of S.

S<1mm, the asperity is regarded as surface roughness,

1≤S≤10mm, it’s regarded as waviness,

S>10mm, it’s called as geometric unevenness.  

In China, the standards measuring surface roughness by the 3 Indexes, (unit:mm)which are average arithmetic deviation of contour Ra, average height of unevenness Rz, and the maximum depth of the valley Ry.

In most of actual production activities, Ra is mostly applied. While in Japan Ry gets mostly used, referred as Rmax. People in European region use VDI 3400. We’ve made a comparison table of the 3 standards shown as below, 

Diagram 2. The comparison between Ra, Rmax,and VDI3400.

Surface roughness is generally formed by processing methods and other factors, such as friction between tool and part surface, plastic deformation of surface metal when chips are separated, high frequency vibration in process system, discharge pits in electrical machining, etc. Because of the difference of processing method and workpiece material, the depth, density, shape and texture of the traces left on the machined surface are different.

The rougher the surface, the smaller the effective contact area between the surfaces, the greater the pressure, the greater the friction resistance and the faster the wear.

For clearance fit, the rougher the surface is, the easier the wear and tear will be, and the clearance will increase gradually in the working process. For interference fit, the actual effective interference will be reduced and the connection strength will be reduced because of the extrusion of micro-convex peaks during assembly.

There are large troughs on the surface of rough parts. Like sharp notches and cracks, they are sensitive to stress concentration, which affects the fatigue strength of parts.

Rough parts surface, easy to make corrosive gases or liquids through the surface of the micro-valley infiltration into the metal inner layer, resulting in surface corrosion.

Rough surfaces do not fit tightly, and gases or liquids leak through cracks between contact surfaces.

Contact stiffness is the ability of parts to resist contact deformation under external force. The stiffness of the machine depends to a great extent on the contact stiffness between the parts.

The surface roughness of measured parts and measuring tools will directly affect the accuracy of measurement, especially in precision measurement.

In addition, surface roughness has different effects on coating, thermal conductivity and contact resistance, reflectivity and radiation performance, resistance of liquid and gas flow, and current flow on conductor surface.

Sampling length is a reference line length for evaluating the age of surface roughness. According to the formation and texture characteristics of the actual surface of the part, the length of the section reflecting the surface roughness characteristics should be selected, and the sampling length should be measured according to the total direction of the actual surface profile. Sampling length is defined and selected to limit and reduce the influence of surface waviness and shape error on the measurement results of surface roughness.

Assessment length is a necessary length for assessing contour. It may include one or more sampling lengths. Because the surface roughness of each part of the part surface is not necessarily uniform, it is often unreasonable to reflect the characteristics of a certain surface roughness on a sampling length, so it is necessary to take several sampling lengths on the surface to evaluate the surface roughness. Assessment length generally includes five sampling lengths.

The datum line is the contour midline used to evaluate the surface roughness parameters. There are two kinds of datum lines: the least squares midline of the contour: within the sampling length, the sum of the outline offset of each point on the contour line is the smallest, and it has a geometric contour shape. Arithmetic mean midline of contour: Within sampling length, the area of contour on both sides of the midline is equal. In theory, the least squares midline is an ideal datum line, but it is difficult to obtain in Carbide Inserts practical application. Therefore, the arithmetic average midline of contour is generally used to replace it, and a line with approximate position can be used to replace it in measurement.

Ra contour arithmetic mean deviation: the arithmetic mean of the absolute value of contour offset within the sampling length (lr). In practical measurement, the more the number of measuring points, the more accurate Ra is.

Maximum height of Rz contour: the distance between the top line of contour peak and the bottom line of valley.

Ra is preferred in the range of commonly used amplitude parameters. Before 2006, another evaluation parameter in the national standard was “10-point height of micro-roughness” expressed Carbide Grooving Inserts by Rz and maximum height of contour expressed by Ry. After 2006, 10-point height of micro-roughness was cancelled in the national standard and maximum height of contour expressed by Rz.

The average width of the RSM contour unit. Within the sampling length, the average distance of contour micro-roughness. Microscopic irregularity spacing refers to the length of contour peaks and adjacent contour valleys on the midline. In the case of the same Ra value, the Rsm value is not necessarily the same, so the reflected texture will be different. The surface that pays attention to the texture usually pays attention to the two indicators of Ra and Rsm.

The shape characteristic parameters of Rmr are expressed by the length ratio of the contour support, which is the ratio of the length of the contour support to the sampling length. The length of the contour support is the sum of the sectional lengths of each section within the sampling length, parallel to the midline and intersected with the contour peak line C.

It is used in the field measurement of workshop, and it is often used in the measurement of medium or rough surface. The method is to determine the measured surface roughness value by comparing the measured surface with a certain number of roughness samples.

The surface roughness is slowly sliding along the measured surface with a diamond stylus whose radius of curvature is about 2 micron. The displacement of the diamond stylus is converted from an electrical length sensor to an electrical signal. After amplification, filtering and calculation, the surface roughness value is indicated by a display instrument. The profile curve of the measured section can also be recorded by a recorder.

Generally speaking, the measuring tool which can only display the surface roughness value is called the surface roughness measuring instrument, and the surface roughness profiler which can record the surface profile curve is called the surface roughness profiler. These two measuring tools have electronic calculating circuit or computer. They can automatically calculate the arithmetic mean deviation Ra of contour, the 10-point height Rz of micro-roughness, the maximum height Ry of contour and other evaluation parameters. They have high measuring efficiency and are suitable for measuring the surface roughness of Ra ranging from 0.025 to 6.3 um.


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Milling Cutter Tools Explained

A milling tool is a cutting metal used to remove material from the surface of a workpiece. These tools are of different shapes and sizes. Their differences are due to their use for various purposes to achieve different types of designs. As a result, milling tooling requires precision and careful selection of the right types to attain the best possible results.

In this article, we provide you with the different types of milling cutter tools, materials used for these cutters, and guides to choosing the right milling tool for your milling operations.

Milling Machines are rotary, highly utilized subtractive manufacturing technology tools essential to the fabrication process of metals and plastics. Moreover, changing the tool to obtain the required design is advisable when milling.

The milling machine tools perform the cutting process by removing material from a workpiece by rotating the cutter and moving it into the workpiece. Feed the workpiece into a spinning multi-point cutter in a milling machine that rotates rapidly to quickly cut the metal or plastic. The milling machine can hold single or multiple cutters at the same time to hasten the cutting process and speedily create desired shapes.

There are different types, and categories of milling cutter tools, each with different purposes and cutting abilities. Here are the common milling tool types.

End mill tools are mill-cutting tools that cut in all directions, making them quite different from drill tools that cut only axially. Manufacturers use the end mill for tool steel cutting and other milling processes, including plunging, reaming, slotting, drilling, face milling, profile milling, etc. There are common types of end mill cutters.

1.1 Ball Mill Cutters

These end mill cutters feature a ball nose. They are ideal for use in milling contoured surfaces due to their round cutting surface.

1.2 Square End Mills

Used for all-around milling, these end mills have a 90-degree profile. Also known as flat-end mills, they are ideal for milling applications such as plunging, profiling, and slotting.

1.3 Radius Endmills

These endmills feature rounded corners. These corners are ideal for cutting a specified radius more evenly, preventing tool wear, and prolonging tool life.

1.4 Undercutting Endmills

It is also known as a lollipop cutter, this well-rounded CNC mill cutting tool offers maximum versatility. Their shape makes them the ideal choice for machining undercuts.

1.5 Rounding Endmills

This Mill tool features strengthened ends. Their primary purpose is milling round edges.

1.6 Corner Radius End Mills

With several flute serrations, this tool, known as the hog mill, leaves a rough finish. Its ability to remove large quantities of material quickly makes it stand out.

This tool is used for face milling. So what is face milling? It is the removal of portions of a workpiece. A face milling tool is used to achieve an excellent surface finish. At the sides of this tool, it has cutting edges that cut in a horizontal direction, as opposed to end mills that cut vertically. Also, a face mill tool is mainly used to cut the outside of the blank.

T-slot cutters feature teeth that are perpendicular to the outside diameter. Also known as woodruff cutters, these cutters are best known for cutting T-shaped slots into parts and workpieces. These types of milling cutters are ideal for cutting slots used for bolt heads and hanging brackets in wall panels.

These saws have applications across various industries due to their unique geometry and rigidity. However, industries like the automotive, precision engineering and construction industries commonly use them to cut non-ferrous and steel materials. Here are the different types of metal slitting saw cutters.

4.1 Plain Metal-Slitting Cutters

These are CNC cutting tools with peripheral cutting edges only, with a concavity on the side to prevent cut dragging in.

4.2 Side Teeth Slitting Cutters

This type of slitting saw possesses both side and peripheral teeth. This feature allows it to maintain a consistent cutting width when removing chips.

4.3 Concave Milling Cutter

This is a slitting saw used to produce a true convex radius. This cutter applies a seamless and smooth semi-circular shape to workpieces.

4.4 Cylindrical Milling Cutter

It is ideal for applications where a high rate of stock removal is required. This slitting saw has teeth on the peripheral surface only.

4.5 Plain Milling Cutter

Also known as slab or surface milling cutter, this type of cuter has helical or straight teeth. Furthermore, its teeth cut on cylindrical or periphery mills flat surfaces parallel to the cutter axis. Plain milling cutters are ideal for small-scale projects and those requiring light milling work.

These milling tool plane surfaces use one or more single-point rotary tools. Similar to the lathe-cutting tool, manufacturers mount a fly-cutter tool on a special holder. It is also important to note that fly cutters are not ideal for heavy-duty cutting operations. Below are the different types of flyer cutters.

5.1 Point Cutter

It features far-reaching needle-like points ideal for cutting densely packed corals. The cuts produced here are always clean and precise.

5.2 Rotary Carving Tool

This tool’s primary purpose is carving hard materials. It finds application in carving wood and engraving on blown glass.

5.3 Rotary Cutting Tool

These mill-cutting tools cut through a material’s fabric without distorting the patterned cutting line. Some professionals employ this tool in cutting up to eight layers of material in one milling session.

This is a cutter used for shaping irregular contours, both 2D and 3D. These cutters also come in different configurations and shapes. It is ideal for creating helical gears and other complex and intricate surfaces. It is used for groove, chamfering, and full-radius milling. There are three major types of form milling cutters.

6.1 Convex Milling Cutter

This is a form CNC turning and milling cutter designed to produce a half circle that curves inwards. Convex milling cutters facilitate the production of concave forms.

6.2 Corner Rounding Milling Cutters

This cutter is used individually or in pairs. These corner rounding milling cutters, also known as radius cutters, facilitate radius milling.

6.3 Inserted Tooth Milling Cutters

Inserted tooth cutter features teeth brazed to the correct location using screws or mechanically added to the cutter. The teeth material is usually carbide or tool steel. On the other hand, machined steel is ideal for making the cutter’s body.

There are different cutting processes ideal for different conditions. This difference in processes and conditions arises a need for using different milling cutter materials. Here are the most common materials used to make milling cutter tools.

This is an inexpensive metal material with good machinability for making mill-cutting tools. This material contains 0.6 -1.5% carbon and usually less than 0.5% of Manganese and silicon. It could also include metals like Chromium and Vanadium, depending on the grain size and hardness the manufacturer wants to achieve.

Milling cutters made from carbon tool steel maintain a cutting edge for a long due to their high abrasion resistance. However, at temperatures above 250°C, this material’s hardness declines rapidly. This makes it ideal for making low-speed machining tools like twist drills, milling tools, and forming and turning tools. It also works great for machining soft metal materials such as magnesium, aluminum, brass, etc.

This is carbon steel but with a small amount of molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, and other alloying metals that makes it considerably tungsten carbide inserts different from conventional carbon steel. With the addition of these alloys, high-speed steel has a higher toughness, wear resistance, and hardenability, giving it a higher metal removal rate.

To boost the lifespan of this tool, manufacturers employ both re-sharpening and the use of coolants (since it loses its hardness at temperatures above 650°C). This mill tool material is ideal for making drills, broaches, and single-point lathe-cutting tools.

This mill tool produced by the powder metallurgy technique is extremely hard and can withstand cutting operations at very high speed. This material, composed of tungsten, titanium carbide, and tantalum, remains hard up to 1000°C. There are different binders manufacturers use for binding the constituents of this tool, which include cobalt, nickel, and Cermet Inserts molybdenum.

Where the binding material is nickel and molybdenum, this tool is called Cermet and is used for different finishing and semi-finishing milling operations on different materials, including alloy and stainless steel. On the other hand, tools low in cobalt are ideal for finishing operations, while high-cobalt tools are best for rough cuts.

This material is non-reactive and harder than its cermet counterparts. It also has better resistance to heat, wears, and tear resistance than Carbides. This heat resistance makes ceramic milling cutters ideal for milling super alloy workpieces. For hard materials, high heat is required for ceramics to function properly.

This is a non-ferrous alloy material made only by grinding or casting. It contains different quantities of chromium and cobalt. It could also contain tungsten or molybdenum. Cutting edges using this material retain their quality even at extremely high temperatures and speeds.

Manufacturers attach stellite teeth to a steel disk on large cutters; on smaller cutters, they use solid stellite. Cutters made using stellite are ideal for making automobile engine castings and other mass-produced parts.

There are a few things that you need to keep in mind in order to select the right milling cutter for your project. Here are some tips that can help you:

The milling depth and width determine the size of the mill cutting tools. An increase in width and depth before mill tooling means an increase in the size of the milling cutter. However, Φ16~Φ630mm is the standard index milling cutter diameter range.

When milling parts with a large surface area, the recommendation is to use milling cutters with smaller diameters. Ideally, during any milling operation, 70% of the cutter’s cutting edges should take part in cutting.

Another factor that can determine the diameter of the milling cutter is the diameter of the machine tool spindle. The recommendation for selecting a face milling tool diameter is D=1.5d, where d is the spindle diameter.

Also, when milling holes, the size of the tool also requires great attention because if the milling cutter diameter is too large or too small compared to the hole, it could cause damage to the workpiece or tool.

When selecting the right milling cutter, the major factors to consider are cutting power and workpiece processing size. For instance, when selecting the diameter of a face mill cutting tool, the power requirement of the tool should be within the power range of the milling machine cutting tool.

In addition, for a small diameter end mill, the machine’s maximum revolution meeting the minimum tool cutting speed (60m/min) should be the main consideration.

When choosing a milling tool, the number of teeth on the tool is an important consideration. A dense-tooth milling tool can have 8 teeth with a diameter of 100mm, while a coarse-tooth tool with the same diameter has only 6 teeth. Coarse metal milling tools are ideal for rough machining due to their large chip flute, which reduces friction between the workpiece, cutter body, and the chip itself.

Besides, it is important to note that a dense-toothed milling tool’s cutting load per tooth is smaller than that of a coarse-toothed milling tool at an equal feed rate.

Using a grinding blade is the best option for fine milling tooling. This type of insert provides improved dimensional precision while increasing the placement accuracy of the cutting edge during milling, allowing for better surface roughness and machining accuracy. However, it is preferable to utilize a pressed blade for roughing because it can lower the cost of processing.

Moreover, using carbide inserts without sharp rake angles would reduce the tool service life, especially with small cutting depths and small feeds.

Milling cutter tools are important to any milling process because these tools are attached to a milling machine to remove or cut materials into different shapes used for various operations. These milling tools come in different types for different milling purposes. It is recommended to consult a specialist for professional advice.

At Estoolcarbide, we have a team of experts for all your manufacturing needs including CNC milling services, CNC turning, 3d printing, rapid tooling, etc. With 20 years of machining experience, our engineers will choose the right mill cutters for your machined parts. You are confident to get high-quality and standard products.

Have more questions about milling or other processes? Simply contact us and get a quote today!

What is the difference between end mill and face mill?

The major difference between a face mill and end mill is that end mills use both the cutter’s end and sides, while face milling is for horizontal cutting.

How are end mills used?

End Mills can make specific shapes and holes in a workpiece during industrial processes such as milling, profiling, contouring, reaming, slotting, counterboring, and drilling operations. End mills have cutting teeth on the face and body edge. They work great for cutting various materials in different directions.

What is the difference between drill bits and milling cutters?

There are several differences between a milling cutter and a drill bit. However, understanding their function can be a major pointer to accurately separating them. A drill bit is a perfect tool for making holes in a workpiece, so it must have an apex angle to help it orient, whereas the milling cutter is used to mill the plane, so there is no apex angle.

Also, The drill bit has a tapered bottom to allow tool tip penetration, whereas the bottom of a mill cutter is flat.


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Medical Plastic Injection Molding for Medical Products & Devices

December 2, 2023

Medical injection molding is the mainstream process for producing medical supplies. It involves melting medical-grade plastics before reshaping and molding them into the desired shape of the medical equipment.

This additive manufacturing process gives rise to strong, durable medical injection parts with quality surface finishes and high dimensional accuracy. Also, since many medical instruments are for single use, this technique is suitable for large-volume production, yet reducing production costs for injection molding.

Contents hide I Why Use Plastics for Medical Injection Devices? II Advantages of Injection Molding for the Medical Industry III Different Kinds of Injection Molding Processes for Medical Gadgets IV Different Medical Grade Plastics for Medical Injection Molding V What Materials are the Available Medical Injection Parts? VI Applications of Plastic Injection Molding in Medical Devices VII Estoolcarbide: Your Expert on Injection Molding Services VIII Conclusion IX FAQs

Any material for manufacturing medical gadgets must adhere to industry standards. Thermoplastics, especially those termed ‘medical-grade plastics’, comply with all FDA requirements, making them an excellent material for fabricating medical injection devices.

Moreover, plastic polymers are relatively cheaper than metals and alloys yet offer comparable durability and mechanical properties. So using plastics for manufacturing medical devices is a reasonable way to cut healthcare costs without compromising quality.

On the other hand, plastics are generally more flexible to work with during the manufacturing processes and even when it comes to the usability of the final products. Unlike metals, plastics are inert materials. So they are often a better choice for manufacturing components that will interact with organic tissues.

Injection molding is an automated process that swiftly creates parts and components for medical equipment. Its advantages outweigh similar additive manufacturing tech, like plastic extrusion, they include:

Components fabricated with medical injection molding are suitable for use in the medical industry because they comply with regulatory bodies. The FDA has set out a series of requirements regarding safety, sterility, cleanliness, and so on that, all equipment must meet.

Unlike metals and other materials, these plastics are easy to clean and sterilize, contaminant resistant, and less finishing requirements, making them ideal for the medical industry.

Medical plastic molding is automated and cost-effective, especially for large-unit fabrications. Being a computer-controlled process requires less labor, ensuring a reduced fee on the cost per part. In addition, the injection molding process is faster and allows for mold reuse, further cutting down the production cost of medical equipment.

The injection molding process affords the machinists various materials to choose from. The technique is suitable for plastics, fibers, composites, etc. However, since we are discussing plastic injection molding for the medical industry, we have already streamlined the material we need. Even at that, the process is compatible with virtually all medical-grade plastics.

The medical industry requires exceptional dimensional accuracy for its devices because it works with blood and various internal structures of the human body. A simple deviation of a few millimeters of inches may be detrimental to the patient.

That said, injection molding is an excellent fit for achieving the utmost dimensional accuracy and tight tolerances for plastic fabrication. In addition, being an automated process requires less human influence, eliminating errors due to external interference.

Many medical products, like syringes, gloves, masks, etc., are for single use. Therefore, the need for a fabrication process with high volume repeatability is one of the primary benefits of injection molding.

With this technique, after creating the mold, you can fabricate thousands of exact parts before requiring any maintenance. A typical aluminum mold – the commonest for injection molding, can last thousands of production cycles.

Like any manufacturing technique, medical injection molding generates waste – as you fabricate your parts, the process releases some excess scraps. Unlike others, the advantage of this technique is that it allows you to regrind and melt these excesses and reuse them for other parts fabrications. Therefore, the resulting waste after fabricating your medical prototyping is almost insignificant.

Now, let’s take a quick look at some injection molding processes used in fabricating medical devices.

Injection molding involves liquifying plastic polymers under high temperatures before reshaping or molding them into the desired shape in an aluminum or steel die mold. Plastic injection molding is highly valuable to the medical industry, as the process occurs under hygienic conditions. The high temperatures for melting the plastics ensure they are free of contaminants and microbes that may harm patients’ health.

Overmolding is a type of injection molding that involves molding one or two components over an already molded and cured structure – the substrate. The process is called two-shot molding because it requires at least two steps, giving it a long production cycle. However, this technique is valuable to plastic manufacturing, especially in fabricating handles and components that require a firm grip.

Insert molding is similar to overmolding in that a secondary component is molded over an already molded part – the insert. Unlike overmolding, insert molding is a single process, as the substrate (inserts) is a pre-existing structure. Also, this technique is not limited to plastic parts, as the inserts molded over can be made of metals or alloys.

This process involves heating silicone to a molten state and then remolding it into the desired shapes of the medical product. Silicone is a typical plastic polymer suitable for use in the medical industry.

However, due to silicone molds are not as durable as aluminum or steel molds, silicone injection molding is usually only suitable for producing small quantities of medical parts, especially in the initial stages of medical prototyping and product development.

There are different engineering plastic polymers suitable for medical injection molding. These plastics – are mainly thermoplastics and not thermosets because of their superior performance over the latter.

PEEK is a common engineering-grade thermoplastic with outstanding resistance to harsh environments, including against radiation, high temperature, chemicals, wear and tear conditions, etc. It is mainly for creating medical and surgical implants.

Moreover, it guarantees impeccable dimensional stability, even after exposure to stress. It also possesses other top-notch mechanical properties, making it an excellent fit for manufacturing medical gadgets. In addition, it is compatible with injection molding and other manufacturing techniques used in fabricating medical equipment.

Polyethylene is a common medical-grade plastic polymer. It comprises thousands of ethylene polymers, with the resulting material possessing high tensile strength and rigidity.

PE’s compatibility with biological tissues and resistance to harsh environmental conditions, including sterilization makes it a valuable plastic for medical injection molding. It is suitable for manufacturing joint prostheses, connectors, tubings, pharmaceutical containers, etc.

Polycarbonate is a strengthened engineering thermoplastic formed from bisphenol A and phosgene condensation. Though it appears transparent, it possesses excellent mechanical properties, including toughness, flexibility, resistance to abrasion, breakage, temperature, etc.

Also, it is highly compatible with body tissues, a typical characteristic of medical-grade plastics. It is suitable for manufacturing many medical plastic injection parts, such as transparent masks, protective gear, oxygenators, etc.

Polypropylene is another common plastic polymer for plastic injection molding, resulting from the condensation of several propylene units. It possesses incredible toughness with resistance to cracking, radiation, impact, temperature, wear, and tear, etc.

All these make it a suitable plastic for manufacturing components for the health sector. It is ideal for manufacturing connectors, tubings, syringes, knee and hip replacements, respirators, etc.

Silicone is a chemically inert chemical compound resembling synthetic rubber with outstanding mechanical properties and compatibility with biological tissues. It is the go-to medical-grade plastic polymer when flexibility is a priority.

It is suitable for manufacturing products and devices like catheters, cosmetics products, contact lenses, breast implants, drug delivery systems, connectors, and tubings, etc. In addition, silicone is exceptionally cost-efficient for manufacturing medical gadgets.

Polystyrene is another top-notch engineering-grade plastic suitable for manufacturing medical injection parts. Unlike most other thermoplastics discussed earlier, it has little to no flexibility yet offers other excellent mechanical attributes and compatibility with body tissues.

It is resistant to harsh conditions that help ensure high dimensional stability, which is vital for all medical components. It is common for manufacturing Petri dishes, culture trays, and other diagnostic parts.

There are different thermoplastics for fabricating hospital and medical injection parts. However, each polymer suit better for specific applications. Let’s discuss the criteria to consider when selecting medical-grade plastics.

When designing components for medical equipment, the first thing to consider is its compliance with the appropriate authority, mainly the FDA. There are guidelines and requirements that every medical instrument must meet before its eligible for use by the general public.

These standards include compatibility with biological tissues and the ability to withstand extreme physical and chemical conditions. Other criteria are subject to these regulations. Therefore, if the plastics pass all FDA regulations, they are suitable for fabricating medical plastic injection parts.

Plastics for manufacturing medical injection parts must show marked mechanical properties relating to strength, rigidity, and durability. When designing components for the health sector, it is crucial that you avoid fragile plastics that can break easily. Instead, use those impact and shatter-resistant thermoplastics, which will serve their purpose of creation for extended periods.

Some medical products, such as prosthetics and surgical implants, will directly contact organic tissues. Therefore, plastic polymers for such fabrications must be inert and not alter normal body activities. Instead, remain compatible with the environment of the internal body structures even after use for a long time.

Many medical devices need to be sterile – free of any contaminants and microorganisms which may be harmful to patients. That said, the sterilization process involves exposing these medical gadgets to harsh conditions, such as; high temperatures, radiation, or chemicals.

Therefore, the plastic polymers for creating instruments that require Carbide Stainless Steel Inserts sterilization must retain their dimensional accuracy even after exposure to these harsh environments.

The injection molding method is another criterion for consideration when selecting the right medical plastics. For example, it is best to use liquid silicone injection molding for such fabrication when working with silicone.

Other plastic injection molding techniques include insert molding, micro molding, ultrasonic bonding, overmolding, etc. It should ensure to use of the appropriate process for your fabrication.

The purpose of the fabricated components is another thing to consider when using plastic polymers for medical injection molding. For example, medical equipment like gloves, masks, respirators, tubings, catheters, and syringes are for single use.

As a result, such components should utilize only a few materials during fabrication; they should Carbide Aluminum Inserts be flexible, lightweight, transparent, and easy to sterilize. Spending too much on such products will be too expensive and unwise for the manufacturer.

With the various advantages explained above, you will agree that injection molding is a highly efficient and effective manufacturing technique for the medical industry. It’s a seamless process that boasts high precision and accuracy, even for large-volume production. This makes it the go-to method for many companies that fabricate components for the medical and pharmaceutical industries.

The process is quite common for manufacturing the following medical plastic injection parts.

Knee and hip joint replacementsVarious surgical implants and pieces of equipmentSimple essential components like blood bags, syringes, catheters, connectors, tubings, respirators, masks, and protective gearHousings, casings, and enclosures for sophisticated medical gadgets like MRI and ECG machinesComponents, like Petri dishes, healers, test tubes, etc., for laboratory tests.Dental X-ray equipmentOrthopedicsPharmaceutical containers and packaging

Are you in need of an expert at fabricating medical plastic molding services? Look no more. At Estoolcarbide, we offer professional operations on rapid injection molding and other manufacturing technologies, including CNC machining, 3D printing, mold tooling, etc.

We boast a team with extensive experience in injection molding services and can produce aluminum mold and more sophisticated steel mold depending on your machining needs. Also, We provide professional advice on the selection of the right material for your medical injection parts, so that you get a high-quality and cost-effective end product

Just upload your CAD files, then, we offer you free DfM analysis and insights on how to carry out your fabrication.

Medical injection molding is cost-efficient, producing high-quality products with outstanding mechanical and chemical properties. With injection molding, simple medical injection parts are relatively easy to fabricate, as well as complex components requiring tight tolerances.

What are medical grade plastics?

Medical-grade plastics are plastic polymers for manufacturing medical products and devices. These plastics are biologically inert and have passed tests and stability studies that assure their safety and compliance with industry standards. They possess excellent mechanical, physical, and chemical properties. Some examples include; polyethylene, PEEK, polypropylene, ABS, etc.

What is the injection molding medical device?

Injection molding medical devices simply refer to applying injection molding techniques in manufacturing medical devices. Medical injection parts are manufactured by heating plastic components to molten states before remolding them into suitable shapes that fit specific designs to be used as components for medical gadgets.

What types of medical products are available for injection molding?

Medical injection molding can fabricate virtually all plastic medical equipment because the technique satisfies all FDA safety and structural stability regulations. Simple equipment like Petri dishes, syringes, tubings, and blood bags, and complex structures like implants, housings, and casings for large medical gadgets, prosthetics, etc., are all compatible with plastic injection molding processes.


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Ceramic Inserts VS Carbide Inserts VS CBN Inserts

When working with tougher materials, selecting the appropriate tool material becomes even more crucial. Inserts can be made of carbide, ceramic, or CBN; these are normally the three primary options.

Carbide inserts

Carbide inserts are able to cut through materials with a Rockwell hardness C scale (HRC) rating of up to 55, although the cutting speed has to be significantly decreased. Tool life is quite limited as well. Carbide inserts, on the other hand, are the least expensive to acquire out of the three options. These types of inserts are more durable and harder than carbide, and they come with cutting edges that are extremely precise and sharp. They even have more toughness than ultra-micro-grain carbide grades, as well as cutting edges that are sharper, and they have outstanding resistance to wear and thermal cracking.

Ceramic inserts

Ceramic inserts perform exceptionally well in the region of 50 to 55 HRC, when the cutting data is equivalent to that of CBN. These inserts allow for greater spindle speeds Tungsten Steel Inserts to be obtained; nevertheless, the cost is significantly more than that of carbide inserts. Ceramic inlays lead to increased levels of productivity. The high temperature hardness, heat resistance, and chemical stability are all superior across the board for each and every grade. In order to fulfil the requirements of its customers, Huana provides a wide selection of ceramic cutting tool materials, including those based on silicon nitride, alumina, and whisker, as well as a number of different geometries.

CBN inserts

When the hardness of the material is greater than 60 HRC, CBN inserts are the ideal option since they can be operated at the greatest spindle speed the lathe is capable of. In addition to having the highest price tag, this option can either have a single cutting edge or come as a multi-Carbide Grooving Inserts tip insert.?Huana’s line of multipoint CBN inserts, which includes anything from two corners to eight corners, outperforms those of any other customer in every measurable aspect of performance, including tool life, polish, precision, and accuracy. Machining ferrous materials with a hardness up to 68 HRC may be accomplished with the use of CBN Inserts, and both mild and heavy interruption cuts can be made with these tools. All throughout India, our Solid CBN inserts are being put to good use for turning hard parts with or without interruption, such as gears, as well as cast-iron components like brake drums.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Each

Take into consideration all that was submitted. When the amount of time spent indexing and replacing inserts is taken into account, lower-priced carbide inserts that are capable of doing the job in terms of tolerance and surface polish may end up being more expensive. A true grasp of the tradeoffs including throughput, cycle time, and insert performance is required in order to achieve real productivity.

Milling a sintered titanium carbide gas turbine blade with coated carbide cutting inserts was effective in one example that involved a specific application and limited production volume. Just five to ten minutes of good cutting performance may be expected from the carbide cutting edge while operating at 120 sfm. While working with challenging materials and producing a high volume of parts, the acceptable insert life is commonly set between 15 and 30 minutes; however, when producing a low rate of parts, the short insert life and frequent tool changes are not serious limitations. In full production, however, a longer insert life becomes vital in order to reduce the amount of time spent changing tools and the amount of manpower required, as well as to maximize machine utilization and throughput. Carbide is a good material for the turbine blade for the time being, but if manufacture of the item is increased to a greater volume, the application may justify using CBN inserts, which are tougher but more expensive.

In the event that you find yourself in a situation in which you need to machine a tough material, you should think about contacting your cutting tool supplier.?The manner in which other businesses have tackled the issue might provide suppliers with ideas for potential solutions. When there is a need for experimentation, the rigorous process of trial and error often begins with carbide inserts and then progresses on to cutters that are harder and more expensive. In many cases, the use of up-to-date insert geometries, rigorous toolholders, and optimized machining procedures allows for the use of ceramic inserts that are significantly less expensive. When it is time to progress beyond ceramic will depend on the application, but broad groups of materials all present similar machining issues.

  • Nickel-based superalloys
  • Jet engine parts frequently contain nickel-based materials. Some of these parts are substantial and have a diameter ranging from 20 to 40 inches. Long cycle durations are the result of the size and the sluggish speeds (around 150 SFM). A single item may be machined over the course of several days. Ceramic inserts are a common choice in this market as a result of their ability to run up to six times quicker.

    Several sub-types of ceramic inserts exist. These sorts come in a variety of colours and compositions and show to be more beneficial in various applications. When cutting hardened steel, cast iron, and nickel-based alloys, ceramics work superbly. Here are some suggestions for cutting certain materials.

  • Hardened Steels
  • Harder steel alloys are being used in more applications. Steels hardened to 63 RC are now widely used in the die and mould business, although tool steels were originally thought to be hard at 45 RC. To prevent heat-treating deformation, mould manufacturers who formerly merely machined components before heat-treating now precision-machine completely hardened tool steels. When milling completely hardened alloys, the heat and pressure can produce plastic deformation in cutting inserts and quick insert failure.

    Another widely used technique for turning hardened steel is the use of CBN inserts. CBN can process steel up to 70 HRC quicker than ceramic inserts. However, they cost four times as much?as ceramic inserts. For turning hardened steel between 45 and 55 HRC, ceramic inserts provide a good compromise between cost and performance.

    However, the severe brittleness features of the ceramic material are caused by its increased hardness. Therefore, ceramic inserts may shatter if the right instructions are not followed. On the other hand, by learning the right procedures, machine shops may drastically cut cycle time while still maintaining a secure process.

    Three re-boring passes are necessary to obtain the requisite tolerance and finish on one especially difficult feature deep inside the component. Cutting edges made of cermet wore out in fewer than one pass due to the hard material and interrupted cutting. Given that a damaged edge may completely destroy a component, this was very concerning. Advanced fine-grain carbide inserts, on the other hand, endured six to nine cuts thanks to their strong physical vapour deposition (PVD) covering and precise cutting action. The tool manufacturer advised decreasing cutting speed from 300 sfm to 175 sfm while maintaining the same depth of cut in order to take use of the carbide inserts. At this slower speed, three passes in the bore took around 20 minutes with carbide inserts versus almost an hour with cermet cutters. More importantly, the increased edge security provided by the carbide inserts reduced the possibility that a broken edge would scrape an expensive workpiece.

    The standard starting point for machining parameters to mill hardened steels with carbide inserts is 100 sfm. Test cuts can accelerate to speeds between 150 and 180 sfm. 0.003 to 0.004 inches per tooth on average are fed. Stronger edges are often provided by insert geometries with neutral or slightly negative rake than by positive-rake inserts. When cutting strong steels, round carbide inserts provide additional benefits. The profile offers a more durable tool without exposed sharp edges.

    Think about toughened grades while selecting a carbide grade. They offer edge security against hardened steels’ high radial cutting forces and severe entrance and exit shock. Instead, specifically designed high-temperature grades can survive the heat produced by steels that have been hardened to 60 RC. High temperatures produced by milling tough steels can also be mitigated by shock-resistant carbide inserts with an aluminum oxide coating.

  • Superalloys
  • Heat resistant superalloys (HRSAs) created for the aerospace sector are finding a wider range of uses in automotive, medical, semiconductor, and power generation. Superalloys are tough; certain titanium grades can be machined at 330 Brinell hardness. Cutting zone temperatures above 2,000°F weaken molecular bonds and generate a flow zone for chips in typical alloys. HRSAs, on the other hand, retain their hardness throughout the machining cycle due to their high heat resistance. Using ceramic inserts for HRSA reduces cutting time, which can result in considerable cost and time savings, which is crucial because machine delays can be costly in the component segment. In HRSA, ceramic inserts enable better metal removal rates and can attain speeds up to 20 to 30 times faster than standard carbide.

    Superalloys are cut slowly due to their difficulties in machining. The cutting inserts used to manufacture HRSAs are determined by the material and the workpiece. Carbide inserts with positive rake geometry will successfully cut thin-walled HRSA material. Thick-walled components, on the other hand, may necessitate ceramic inserts with negative cutting-edge geometry to provide a more productive ploughing motion. While most tough materials prefer dry machining to maintain consistent edge temperatures, titanium requires coolant even at extremely low speeds.

    Ceramic inserts require very high cutting speeds with reinforced geometries, and in order to operate, it must create an enormous amount of heat to plasticize the material, which is then displace by the tool. Because ceramics can have a detrimental impact on surface integrity and topography, they should not be utilised for machining close to the completed component shape; rather, they should be used for roughing operations.

    Ceramic milling equipment will not operate if your chips are not orange or white. Making the decision to experiment with and deploy ceramic milling tools for HRSA applications is both thrilling and efficient. Machine stiffness, fixturing stability, gauge length, and suitable parameter selection are critical because to the higher wear resistance of the ceramic substrate.

  • Metals Sintered
  • Powder metallurgy advancements are generating extra-hard sintered metals for a variety of uses. To attain hardness ranging from 53 to 60 RC, one producer created a powdered nickel composite alloy including tungsten or titanium carbide. The nickel-alloy matrix’s carbide particles can reach 90 RC. Coated carbide inserts suffer from fast flank wear when milling such materials, and their primary cutting edges wear flat. Microchatter is caused by extra-hard particles inside the microstructure, which increases insert wear. Carbide inserts can also shatter when shear pressure is applied when cutting hard stock.

    CBN inserts make it possible to cut hard powder metals incorporating tungsten and titanium carbides in a productive manner. Microchatter can be overcome using advanced geometries. One user milling the powdered composite alloy discovered that an improved CBN insert outlasted the best carbide inserts by more than 2,000 times. A five-insert face machine operating at 200 sfm and 0.007 inch feed per edge finished hard stock test cuts 75 percent quicker than electrical discharge machining.

    To make the greatest use of CBN, cutting parameters must be kept within a narrow range. When cutting sintered materials, speeds of up to 160 sfm and feed rates of 0.004 to 0.006 inch per tooth look sluggish, yet they are quite productive. Test cuts lasting 30 to 60 seconds are ideal for determining precise machining settings. Begin at moderate speeds and gradually increase until the cutting edges exhibit significant wear.

    Difficult materials should normally be machined dry in order to keep cutting edges at a constant temperature. A circular cutter with double-negative geometry is most effective in most circumstances, and the depth of cut is normally limited to 0.04 to 0.08 inch. To meet the high shock loads during machining, machines and equipment must have maximum stiffness, minimal overhang, and maximum strength.

    Conclusion

    The longevity of inserts in proportion to removal rates is a significant requirement for their economical application, particularly with materials such as carbide, ceramic, and CBN. The latter is significantly more costly. As a result, comparing tool wear becomes crucial. In roughing, interrupted, and finishing cuts, the three materials exhibit significant variances in size and surface polish. It is critical to monitor the tool regardless of the type of insert utilized. If worn inserts are kept in service past their useful life, they may have a detrimental impact on the workpiece’s outer layer of material.

    Contact HUANA to buy the insert that best meets your requirements.


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