Tungsten carbide cutters , today they are the protagonists in our workshop. For optimum quality and result, we have designed a Tecnista line - our first line of cutters, of which we are very proud. Objective: to give you the right tool for your every job.
What is a tungsten carbide cutter?
It is a tool that belongs to the category of abrasives. In this sense it can be said that tungsten carbide cutters are used for:
- cut
- drool
- file, possibly also edges
- make some finishes
- do some polishing.
Why Choose Tungsten Carbide?
Tungsten carbide is a particular material, with a very high melting temperature and a high hardness . Hardness is the characteristic that makes it impossible for a material to be penetrated by another material of a different composition.
Therefore, using a tungsten carbide cutter, for example, on very normal carbon steel, it is possible to scratch the latter material, which is less hard, with ease. In short, the cutter has good performance in its abrasion function .
Tungsten carbide cutter: on which materials can it be used?
They can be used on different materials , especially metal. Therefore:
- carbon steel
- stainless steel
- aluminum
- cast iron
- gold (they are also widely used in the goldsmith sector).
But they can even be used to make sculptures on wood or polymeric plastic materials.
In short, a very versatile tool that serves many important purposes. The most important thing to know is that a different cut of the cutter is required depending on the material to be processed.
What are the types of cutting of a cutter?
First of all, depending on the machining you need to do, you will need to choose a different head for your instrument .
After this first step, let's focus on the different cuts that the cutters can have:
- single cut ; they are used on materials that heat up very easily and that create a lot of waste, such as, for example, stainless steel or aluminum
- single cut with opposite channel ; presents a cut in the opposite direction of the individual cuts, so as to create a drain for the processing slag
-
double cut ; it is the most common and used, especially on iron or with materials that do not heat up easily and which allows the double cut to work both in one direction and in the other. It has a greater engraving on the material.
How are tungsten carbide cutters used?
Let's start from a premise: tungsten carbide sockets need a fairly high speed ; depending on the size of the head, we have to go at a speed ranging from about 15,000 to 30,000 revolutions per minute .
Obviously, the bigger the head, the fewer turns will be needed because we are further and further away from the center of gravity of the cutter. Conversely, the smaller the head, the more we can increase the speed.
In any case, we know that with a normal drill we will not be able to reach these speeds. The drill, in fact, reaches 2,000 / 3,000 rpm, in general.
So our recommendation is to use tungsten carbide cutters with an axial grinder with adjustable speed . A tool of this type guarantees the use of cutters from 10,000 to 30,000 revolutions.
An alternative are pneumatic axial grinders, that is air, or, if you had one, even battery-powered, as long as they respect the required revolutions per minute.
For which processes to use the tungsten cutter?
We said it a little while ago: there are different shapes for the cutters and each shape is used for a different job . Let's take some examples.
- Ball nose cutter. Chosen above all to practice, circular exchanges, or to enter narrow spaces that do not need an acute angle, but a beautiful obtuse angle. Also used for sculptures.
(Click the image to see the product)
- Cylinder cutter . It can also have cutting edges on the base of the cylinder, that is the face exposed upwards. They are used for flat surfaces, to work on the corner while remaining perpendicular to the surface of the machining, by deburring, to remove particular pieces that have stuck to the surface and, finally, to round any edges.
(Click the image to see the product)
-
Conical cutter . Ideal when there is the need to enter into conical slots with an acute angle. There is also a version with a very sharp edge, which allows us to respect a perfect V-shape of our price.
(click the image to see the product)
Who is a tungsten carbide cutter suitable for?
To understand if this cutter is right for you, let's do some evaluations.
Let's start with the quality-price ratio . It must be said that this type of material has a higher cost than normal cutters, such as pink, ceramic or corundum, but at the same time they have a longer life.
They are cutters that you can use as a hobby, but are actually designed for professional use . They save time by avoiding frequent changing of the cutter and last up to five times longer than the others.
In practice they are tools particularly suitable for those who work on an industrial level , in carpentry, in general metalworking, in shipbuilding, in the automotive sector .
Have you ever tried tungsten carbide cutters for your work? What type of cutter do you usually use? Tell us your experience; we like to share and learn from every situation.