What cutting tools are employed in CNC machining?
CNC machines are now the backbone of the manufacturing industry, helping to shape various raw materials into usable parts that can be utilized by other businesses. At the heart of these CNC machine technologies are the cutting tools that are used to change the shape of the raw workpiece into a desired shape, and there can be different types of cutting that a CNC machine can use to do that job. The selection process of which tool is needed can be made using various metrics like the materials that are to be machined or the work that needs to be done like milling or drilling. If you are also curious about which cutting tools are often used by CNC machines and for what purpose, then you have landed on the best page and now let’s continue till the end.
What are the common types of CNC cutting tools?
CNC machines employ several types of cutting tools depending on different situations, so here is a comprehensive list of all the common types of cutting tools used by CNC machines:
- Drill Bits: The first type of cutting tool that we are going to talk about is the drill bits. Drill bits have a shaft that has two cutting spirals ending in a conical cutting tip. Drill bits are mainly used to create cylindrical holes. They come in various sizes and types, which include twist drills, gun drills, and indexable drills.
- Face Mills: Face mills are mainly made for cutting flat surfaces. In the face milling operations, the cutting tool removes materials from the surface of a workpiece. The face mill has a big diameter and helps to cut the material at the bottom of the mill. The face mills also have multiple cutting edges and can help in the machining of large surfaces quickly and efficiently.
- End Mills: End mills are one of the most versatile cutting tools that are used for different operations like milling, drilling, slotting, contouring, and profiling. They have cutting edges of the end face and periphery which helps to remove material in different directions. They come in different varieties like standard end mills, roughing end mills, and finishing end mills. These machines are suitable for different materials like metals, plastics, and composites.
- Turning Tools: These cutting tools are employed in CNC lathes and turning centers and are used to remove material from a rotating workpiece to create conical and cylindrical shapes. These tools have a single cutting edge and are designed for specific applications like external turning, internal turning, and facing.
- Thread Mills: These are the specialized cutting tools that are used for different threading operations, which are about creating internal and external threads on a workpiece. While taps are only limited to internal threads, thread mills can work on both. They are suitable for hard metals and also for asymmetric parts, which helps with flexibility and precision.
- Reamers: Reamers are CNC cutting tools that are used to enlarge the existing holes to a particular diameter and tolerance. They are designed in a way that they remove small amounts of materials which makes these cutting tools a perfect choice for those, where accuracy and surface finish are the most important things. These machines are known for the top-notch surface finish that they offer.
- Gear cutters: These cutting tools are essential in the automotive, machinery manufacturing, and robotics industries. Gear cutter tools are specialized tools for machining gear teeth of different types of profiles. They are used to create parts like spurs, helical gears, and bevels.
- Slab Mills: These cutting tools are also known as slab cutters or plain mills. These mills mainly help in cutting flat surfaces. They only have teeth on their periphery which helps them in cutting wide and narrow cuts over flat surfaces. These cutting tools are ideal for rapid material removal on large and flat workpieces.
- Taps: Taps are the machining tools that are used to create internal threads only, they can’t work on the creation of external threads. They are available in various thread forms and sizes, which also makes them a great choice for a wide range of applications.
- Fly Cutters: These are single point rotatory tools that help in making broad or shallow cuts and help you in giving a smooth surface finish to your desired product. They are excellent tools for plane surfacing and are also very cost effective compared to face mills.
What are the materials used for cutting tools?
We have discussed the top common types of cutting tools that are used by CNC machines for different kinds of operations, now here is a short list of the materials used for making cutting tools for you to understand them in detail:
- High-Speed Steel (HSS): This material is known for its wear resistance, thermal stability, and good toughness. They are suitable for cutting different softer metals like aluminum and can machine complex tool shapes. They are easy to sharpen and are relatively inexpensive.
- Carbide: Carbide is known for its durability, hardness, and heat resistance. They are used in tools needed for high-speed, dry, and hard cutting operations. This is an ideal material for cutting hard materials like stainless steel, titanium, and composites.
- Cubic Boron Nitride: This material is second only to diamond when it comes to hardness. They also have superior thermal hardness and chemical stability characteristics and are mainly used for the machining of super alloys and hardened steels.
- Polycristrallite Diamond: This is the hardest known material for CNC cutting which is made from synthetic diamond grains. This is ideal for non-ferrous and non metallic materials such as aluminum alloys, and other abrasive materials.
Conclusion
Cutting tools are an important part of the whole CNC machining process. You will never be able to make your desired product without selecting the right cutting tool needed for the machining of that product. They are mostly made up of the materials we mentioned above and are the best options for cutting different materials and giving them a particular shape.
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