Cutting Tools
The broad category of “cutting tools” includes all of the consumable tooling involved in milling, drilling, turning and other lathe and machining center operations.
Drills, end mills, taps, reamers and inserts are all included here. Consumable tooling used on certain other types of machine tools is included here as well. Also found here are toolholders and closely related accessories such as angle heads. Supplier pages, FAQs related to cutting and cutting tools can be found here, as well as essential reading on the topic and all of the latest Modern Machine Shop cutting tools coverage.
Latest Cutting Tools Articles
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Emuge-Franken's TIN Coated Thread Gages Improve Wear Resistance
Emuge-Franken USA expands its precision thread gages line with TIN coated gages featuring 3B class-of-fit.
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Sandvik Coromant Parting, Grooving Concept Improves Stability, Chip Control
Sandvik Coromant’s CoroCut 2 with -RF geometry is designed for secure and high-precision profiling, eliminating the trade-off between chip control and optimized surface finish.
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Horn Milling Tool Features Modular Design for Quick Changeovers
The DG modular interchangeable head milling system optimizes the interface between the cutting head and shank for greater versatility, stability and higher changeover precision.
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Ceratizit Milling Tool Enables Dynamic Positioning
Ceratizit USA’s FreeTurn tool is designed to provide dynamic turning capabilities with its slim, axial structure.
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Finding the Right Tools for a Turning Shop
Xcelicut is a startup shop that has grown thanks to the right machines, cutting tools, grants and other resources.
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Monaghan Forming Taps Increase Speed, Maintain Tight Tolerances
Monaghan Tooling Group features the Vergnano P900 high performance forming taps, designed for blind or through holes, increasing speed while maintaining tight tolerances.
Read MoreLatest Milling Tools Articles
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How to Mitigate Chatter to Boost Machining Rates
There are usually better solutions to chatter than just reducing the feed rate. Through vibration analysis, the chatter problem can be solved, enabling much higher metal removal rates, better quality and longer tool life.
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IMCO Carbide Tool Inc. End Mills Provide Faster Part Cycles
The M936 Pow-R-Feed series is designed to make various toolpath moves without slowing down, providing faster cycle times and more production.
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Twin Spindle Design Doubles Production of Small Parts
After experiencing process stalls in the finishing stage of production, Bryan Machine Service designed an air-powered twin spindle and indexable rotating base to effectively double its production of small parts.
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New Modular Tool Options for Small Spindle Milling
Tooling options have been limited for small spindle milling applications. Now modular, indexable systems are available that provide broad flexibility to get the right cutter for the job with less inventory and at lower cost.
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A More Efficient Way to Cut Near-Net Parts
Choosing the right milling insert is important: This insert from Iscar is designed for finishing near-net shaped parts quickly, while another makes high-feed machining more accessible with existing machining centers.
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High Feed Rates or Deep Cuts - Which is Faster?
Comparing high-feed milling to other kinds, it is clear that the high feed and metal removal rates deliver on promises, but sometimes slowing down the feed and increasing the depth of cut will still end up faster.
WatchLatest Deburring Articles
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How to Accelerate Robotic Deburring & Automated Material Removal
Pairing automation with air-driven motors that push cutting tool speeds up to 65,000 RPM with no duty cycle can dramatically improve throughput and improve finishing.
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Monaghan Reaming System Provides Long Service Life
The Diatool Top Speed Ring modular reaming system features multiblade design with uneven spacing of cutting edges to create round and cylindrical bores.
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Increasing Productivity in Drilling Holes in Steel
A new three-fluted drill designed for high production can improve the speed of drilling holes in steel by 50% while improving roundness and accuracy.
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How to Choose the Best Drill Type for Your Next Job
Five questions to ask when deciding between solid carbide drills or replaceable insert.
WatchLatest Turning Tools Articles
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Toolpath Improves Chip Management for Swiss-Type Lathes
This simple change to a Swiss-type turning machine’s toolpath can dramatically improve its ability to manage chips.
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Modulated CNC Turning: How a Reversal in the Tool Path Can Deliver Greater Cutting Speed
UNCC researchers introduce modulation into the tool path. Chip breaking was the goal, but higher metal removal rate is an intriguing secondary effect.
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Video: Chipbreakers Are Not All the Same—How to Break Chips Effectively
Different chipbreakers are engineered for different parameters. Machining footage shows the difference in effectiveness between chipbreakers used in the right and the wrong applications.
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Latest Cutting Tools News And Updates
Kyocera End Mill Line Enables Ramping, Helical Interpolation
Kyocera SGS Precision Tools Inc. presents its Z-Carb XPR end mill line with plunging and ramping capabilities, equipped with an open end tooth design and two standard coatings for extended tool life.
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Ceratizit Promotes Managing Director for Cutting Tools Division
Ceratizit USA has promoted Troy Wilt from national sales manager to managing director of Ceratizit USA, cutting tools division.
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Kaiser Milling, Grooving Tool Provides Greater Circular Accuracy
The Mill A Groove tool can be used to cut step grooves, convex and concave radius grooves, chamfered edges, angles and special profiles with a single insert.
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Sandvik Coromant Shoulder Milling Solution Provides Versatile Performance
CoroMill MS 20 is designed for repeated shoulder milling, face milling, linear and helical ramping, full slotting and plunging applications.
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Kennametal Turning Tools Improve Chip Evaluation
TopSwiss turning inserts are engineered for low-feed, high depth-of-cut applications across industries.
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Monaghan Tool Supports High-Production Reaming Applications
The Diatool Top Speed Disc features a solid reamer body with multiple connections to produce tolerance stack up.
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Featured Posts
Tooling Displays Now More Hands-On
Horn USA’s new booth concept is designed to enable attendees to (literally) get a better feel for its various tooling offerings.
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Orthopedic Event Discusses Manufacturing Strategies
At the seminar, representatives from multiple companies discussed strategies for making orthopedic devices accurately and efficiently.
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Shoulder Milling Cuts Racing Part's Cycle Time By Over 50%
Pairing a shoulder mill with a five-axis machine has cut costs and cycle times for one of TTI Machine’s parts, enabling it to support a niche racing community.
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Broaching Tool Technology For Lathes Used to Slot Inconel Parts
This shop finds value in using an indexable-insert-style broaching tool to create blind-hole slots in heat-treated Inconel aerospace parts on a CNC lathe.
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Briquetting Manufacturer Tools Up for Faster Turnaround Times
To cut out laborious manual processes like hand-grinding, this briquette manufacturer revamped its machining and cutting tool arsenal for faster production.
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Custom PCD Tools Extend Shop’s Tool Life Upward of Ten Times
Adopting PCD tooling has extended FT Precision’s tool life from days to months — and the test drill is still going strong.
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FAQ: Cutting Tools
Why is through-tool coolant valuable, and why are shops are seeing greater need for it?
Getting coolant to the cutting edge is critical for any manufacturing application. It helps in cooling the cutting zone, provides very needed lubrication, and can assist in breaking a chip. Many times, external lines are used to splash coolant near the work zone. Long Chips can easily interfere with this delivery method, possibly knocking the lines out of the way. Additionally, when tools need to be changed or indexed coolant lines might be moved for better access to the tool. Then when the line is put back it is never the same as it previously was. Often times there is a give-and-take methodology used to cover areas being machined with this coolant, so all tools get some cooling, but none of them get ideal cooling. A coolant-through tool allows pinpoint accuracy with a specific direction of coolant pointed exactly at the cutting zone.
Through-tool coolant is available on cutters that couldn't offer it before. What has changed in the technology of tool manufacturing to make this possible?
There’s been a big change is the ability to drill small-diameter holes very deep and do this in a production atmosphere. Part of this comes from the drilling machines being able to reach the necessary speeds and holders that provide superior clamping and runout. The other part comes from tools designed specifically for this drilling application.
On a coolant-through tool, material could be added in areas that may need additional strength, allowing for the intersecting coolant ports to be drilled accordingly.
What aspect of tool engineering is responding to greater cutting speed?
Machines and tools seem to have a back-and-forth dance in terms of which is leading. Coatings continue to evolve, with more layers, and different material being used. This is something all tool manufactures are playing with on some level. The changes in coating technology is somewhat more limited, and not as many are playing in this arena. One process that comes to mind is “HiPIMS,” or high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. This process uses microsecond timing of extreme-power pulses. This allows the metal to ionize to nano size particles to be deposited on the tools. This process allows for greater adhesion and coating hardness, while maintaining great lubricity. Additionally, this process has greatly reduced compressive stresses. This reduction allows for smaller edge preps to be used, thus resulting in sharper tools.
Why is diamond used as an industrial cutting tool?
Developments in polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and cubic boron nitride (CBN) have allowed these materials to improve in ways that make them more versatile and cost-effective. Meanwhile, the machining speed and tool life of these tools continue to take machining processes to levels of performance where carbide cannot go.
Through long tool life and fast cutting parameters, the tools increase machine capacity by reducing the frequency of tool replacements and allowing machines to make parts at a greater rate. Meanwhile, the tooling increasingly figures into expert solutions tailored to more demanding applications in various industries.
Source: The New Rules of Cutting Tools - Rule #3: Diamond Shouldn't Be Rare
What are cutting tools made of?
Polycrystalline diamond (PCD), cubic boron nitride (CBN), ceramic, high-speed steel (HHS), cemented carbide or cermet.
Sources: What's Happening With Cutting Tools
Cutting Tools Supplier Categories
- Deburring Tools (Machine Tool Spindle-Mounted)
- Collets, Solid & Master
- Milling Cutters
- Tap Drivers & Attachments
- End Mills
- Tool Presetters
- Boring Tools & Heads for Machining Centers
- Spline Rolling Tools
- Tooling Materials, Ceramics
- Drills
- Drill Bushings
- Diamond Tools
- Mass Finishing Media & Compounds
- Spline Inserts
- Shear Blades
- Threading Tools - Cutting
- Facing Tools/Heads
- Grinding Wheels & Belts
- Thread Chasers
- Boring Tools
- Punching Tools/Dies
- Collets for Toolholding
- Gear Cutting Tools
- Cut-Off Tools/Attachments
- Grooving Tools
- Tool Repair, Coating & Treatment Services
- Thread Whirling Tools
- Key Seating Tools
- Tooling Materials, Carbides
- Broaching Tools
- Taps
- Slotting Saws
- Thread Milling Cutters
- Endworking Tools
- Tool Blanks
- Burnishing Tools (Roller)
- Grinding Wheel Dressing Units
- Retention Knobs
- Drilling Heads/Attachments
- Threading Tools
- Tool Conditioning Equipment
- Honing & Lapping Tools
- Serration Tooling
- Protective Sleeves & Coatings (for Cutting Tools)
- Milling Heads/Attachments
- Tool Condition Monitoring Systems
- Form Tools
- Tool Storage & Handling Systems
- Gear Rolling Tools
- Gundrills
- Burnishing, Honing & Lapping Tools
- Saw Blades
- Die & Mold Components
- Buffing & Polishing Supplies
- Knurling Tools
- Arbors (for Cutters)
- Cold Heading Tools
- Counterbores/Countersinks
- Abrasive Compounds & Slurries
- Marking Tools
- Shaving Tools
- Boring Tools for Turning Machines
- Reamers
- Tooling Systems, Modular and/or Quick-Change
- Drill Chucks
- Toolholders
- Chamfering Tools
- Thread Rolls & Dies
- Threading Tools - Forming
- Inserts, Indexable (Carbide, etc.) & Tool Inserts
