Tool Resharpening Tips
The continuous race for maximum savings and minimum manufacturing costs is a constant, but important factor. Deciding the right moment for the tool resharpening will help you to keep the price/part as low as possible. Usually there are specific signs which will indicate that the cutting tool must be changed or replaced: When the machining process shows significant deterioration such as excessive heat and vibrations along with a poor surface quality When machined part is out of tolerance Workpiece material build ups' on the tool face Visually determine the cutting edge is worn out These variables dictate the importance of choosing when the tool should be pulled from production. This decision determines whether or not your tool life is a costly or economical one.

Tool Coatings Tips
The tool coating is another aspect that should be considered to maximize you savings. Picking the right coating may be a challenging task. There are few factors to consider when choosing the type of coating needed: Cutting tool material Workpiece material Machining parameters As a quick reference use the charts in this section to determine the right type of coating for your application. Tool Type: Coating Type HSS Carbide TiN ×   TiCN ×   AlTiN   × CrN × × Standard coating application chart based on material to be machined: Workpiece Material TiN TiCN AlTiN CrN Aluminum   ×   × Alloy Steel ×   ×   Carbon Steel ×   ×   Low Carbon Steel × × ×   Cast Iron     ×   Staineless Steel   × ×   Titanium       ×

Surface Quality
Every machining process can achieve a certain surface quality also referred as "roughness". Surface roughness (Ra) values cross reference chart: The highlighted values are the most common for machining applications Ra Roughness Common Machining Process µm µin 50 2000 Flame cutting, Snagging, Sawing, Sand Casting, Hot Rolling 25 1000 Flame cutting, Snagging, Sawing, Sand Casting, Hot Rolling, Forging 12.5 500 Snagging, Sawing, Planing, Shaping, Sand casting, Hot rolling 6.3 250 Forging, Sawing, Drilling, Milling, Boring, Turning 3.2 125 Sawing, Planing, Shaping, Drilling, Milling, Boring, Turning, Cold Rolling, EDM 1.6 63 Drilling, Milling, Broaching, Reaming, Boring, Turning, Extruding, Cold Rolling, EDM 0.8 32 Electro-Chemical, Boring, Turning, Grinding, Honing 0.4 16 Electro-Chemical, Grinding, Honing, Electro-Polish 0.2 8 Grinding, Honing, Electro-Polish, Polishing, Lapping 0.1 4 Lapping, Superfinishing 0.05 2 Lapping, Superfinishing 0.025 1 Lapping, Superfinishing 0.012 0.5 Lapping, Superfinishing

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