Tooling
Tooling — Wiki
Cutting tools, toolholders and inserts — geometry, coatings and the drivers of tool life and a consistent cutting edge.
23 entries in this group.
- Boring Bars & HeadsBoring bars and boring heads carry the single-point tool that enlarges and trues a hole, cutting size, position and straightness from inside.Sep 7, 2026
- BT vs HSKBT vs HSK is the choice of spindle interface on a machining centre: the steep 7:24 taper, or the short hollow-shank HSK taper with dual contact.Sep 7, 2026
- Carbide (Cemented Tungsten Carbide)Carbide is the composite tool material of tungsten carbide grains in a cobalt binder; it stays hard far hotter than HSS and runs several times faster.Sep 7, 2026
- Ceramic Cutting ToolsCeramic cutting tools machine cast iron and hardened steel at very high speeds — aluminium oxide edges that stay hard when red hot.Sep 7, 2026
- CermetCermet is a ceramic-metal cutting tool material that finishes steels at higher speeds than carbide — hard, heat-resistant and wear-resistant on the fine cut.Sep 7, 2026
- Collet ChucksA collet chuck holds round-shank tools by squeezing a slotted sleeve: the ER collet system grips any diameter in its range with accuracy and grip.Sep 7, 2026
- Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN)Cubic boron nitride is the superhard material that cuts hardened steel where diamond cannot and carbide will not; it is what makes hard turning possible.Sep 7, 2026
- Cutting ToolA cutting tool is the hardened edge that shears metal from the work: the single-point tool of the lathe, the multi-point mill, the insert.Sep 7, 2026
- Types of DrillsMachining uses several types of drills: twist drills cut the hole, spot and centre drills start it true, and step drills open sheet metal.Sep 7, 2026
- End Mills & Ball Nose CuttersThe end mill is the CNC milling workhorse: square-end for slots and shoulders, ball-nose for sculpted 3D forms, more flutes for a finer finish.Sep 7, 2026
- Face Mills & Indexable CuttersA face mill carries several indexable inserts round its body to sweep a flat, wide surface — and indexable cutters are the replaceable-edge family of milling.Sep 7, 2026
- High-Speed Steel (HSS)High speed steel is the alloy tool steel behind drills, taps and many milling cutters; it keeps a sharp edge at red heat and is tough enough to grind and reuse.Sep 7, 2026
- Insert Shapes & ISO DesignationInsert shapes set how many cutting corners an insert has and how strong they are — and the ISO designation is the code that names shape, size and edge.Sep 7, 2026
- Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD)Polycrystalline diamond is the hardest tool material known, used for abrasive non-ferrous work such as high-silicon aluminium and composites that kill carbide.Sep 7, 2026
- ReamersA reamer is the multi-edge cutter that brings a drilled hole to its finished size and surface: accurate, smooth holes made from a near-size start.Sep 7, 2026
- Shrink Fit vs Hydraulic Tool HoldersShrink fit vs hydraulic tool holders: the two high-precision grips that hold a cutter more rigidly and truly than a collet.Sep 7, 2026
- Cut Taps & Form TapsTaps are the cutting tools that make internal threads: a cut tap shears the thread from the hole, a form tap displaces metal by rolling it into shape.Sep 7, 2026
- Thread MillsA thread mill cuts a thread by helical interpolation instead of tapping: one carbide tool cuts many thread sizes, internal or external.Sep 7, 2026
- Tool CoatingsTool coatings are micrometre-thin hard films that make an edge wear less, slide easier and survive more heat; TiN, TiAlN and CrN, applied by PVD or CVD.Sep 7, 2026
- Tool Geometry & AnglesTool geometry is the set of angles — rake, clearance, lead, helix, nose radius — that decide how an edge cuts, how hard it is pushed, and how long it lasts.Sep 7, 2026
- Tool Life & Change CriteriaTool life is the cutting time a tool gives before it must be changed; flank wear, finish and size drift are the criteria that decide when.Sep 7, 2026
- Tool RunoutTool runout is how far a rotating cutter wobbles off the spindle's true centreline; it loads one flute harder, spoils finish and shortens tool life.Sep 7, 2026
- Tool Wear ModesTool wear modes are the recognisable patterns in which a cutting edge fails — flank, crater and notch wear, built-up edge, chipping and thermal cracking.Sep 7, 2026