The manufacturing industry is a cornerstone of American life. As an industrialized nation, we rely upon the manufacturing industry to create the products we need. These products range from everything from packaging to tools, and even automotive parts. However, manufacturing isn’t just important due to what it creates. It’s also valuable from the perspective of job creation. Countless people are employed by the manufacturing industry, and rely upon the security that this industry provides. With that being said, there are so many different sectors within the manufacturing industry, requiring varying skill sets and turning out innumerable amounts of product each day. One of the key parts of the manufacturing industry is the machine tool sector; it makes up a total market size of $90 billion U.S. dollars. Nonetheless, many of us in and out of the manufacturing industry don’t know anything about the machine tools. Cutting tool solutions are growing in leaps and bounds every day. They create tools for engineering — tools that the industry relies upon. But what are these tools made up of, and what exactly do they do? We’ll look into cutting tool technology — how they work, what they’re made of, and why they’re so important.

Carbon Cutting Tools: The Basics

There are many different types of cutting tool solutions on the market. One type of cutting tool is the carbon cutting tool. A carbon tool steel is a basic tool, used for low-speed machining operation. They have a composition of .6% to 1.5% carbon, with a very small amount of Mn, Si. Although they aren’t right for every scenario, carbon tool steels are effective in a number of different situations, in part because they are not overly complicated. They have a good machinability. However, they cannot be used in every temperature. Typically, they lose their hardness rapidly at a temperature above 250 degrees Celsius. As such, they cannot be used in a high temperature application. Of course, no tool is perfect for every different scenario. This is why there are a number of different tools on the market. Eventually, these steels were supplanted by high speed steels in around 1900. These high speed steels come in three main categories total: tungsten, molybdenum, and molybdenum-cobalt based grades. Cemented carbide steels would eventually become preferred by many different manufacturers, and with good reason. But that doesn’t mean that carbon tool steels aren’t valuable.

Cemented Carbide Cutting Tool Solutions: The Next Level

In comparison to carbon tool steels, cemented carbide tools are very tough. They can withstand a high speed cutting operation. It will not lose its hardness in temperatures up to 1000 degrees Celsius. If you plan on using a carbide tool of any kind, you should make sure that it’s coated. In total, two-thirds of carbide tools are coated. Coated tools need to be considered for most applications; this is because they have a longer lifespan and tend to machine faster.

Ceramic Cutting Tool Solutions And Inserts: Enhancing Normal Tools

Let’s look at one more type of cutting tool before turning next to cutting tool inserts. Ceramic cutting tools are alternative to carbon and carbide tools. They are ten times faster than high speed steels, and do not begin to lose their hardness until 1800 degrees Celsius. They may be the best tools for high pressure situations, and can certainly compete if not completely outdo carbon and carbide tools. Cutting tool inserts, however, can completely change the effectiveness of tools. They come in many different geometries. A diamond insert has four sides with acute angles used for material removal. Triangle inserts, on the other hand, have triangular shapes with three equal sides and three tips with angles of 60 degrees.

The importance of cutting tools cannot be understated. With that being said, part of the reason why these tools are so valuable are their wide variety, and for that matter their enhancements. This diversity makes them so uniquely useful.