Manchester Carbide Inserts

Manchester carbide inserts refer to a range of indexable carbide cutting inserts manufactured by various companies to suit different machining applications. This article provides an overview of carbide inserts, their properties, manufacturing methods, grades, styles, coatings and leading global suppliers.

Overview of manchester carbide inserts

Carbide inserts are cutting tools with a carbide tip brazed to a steel shank body. The carbide tips feature geometrically defined cutting edges that perform the actual material removal. Key attributes include:

  • Extreme hardness for wear resistance
  • Advanced substrate and coating combinations
  • Precision indexable inserts for multi-edge use
  • Designed for high productivity machining

Carbide inserts are available in a wide range of international and proprietary grades to suit different work materials, operating parameters and production demands. Custom geometries, chipbreakers, coatings and edge preparations further optimize performance.

Carbide Insert Components

ComponentRole
Carbide substrateProvides hardness for wear resistance during cutting
CoatingEnhances lubricity, oxidation resistance and friction reduction
ChipbreakerAllows proper chip formation and flow across insert rake face
Clamping areaFacilitates secure and precise seating on toolholder

Carbide Insert Standards

International standards help define insert geometry, designation, selection and usage across manufacturers:

  • ISO 1832 – Insert identification and coding
  • ANSI B212.4 – Carbide insert dimensions and tolerances
  • ISO 13399 – Toolholder interface dimensions
  • Manufacturer standards – Grades, geometries, technical data

This enables interchangeability and consistent performance across carbide insert suppliers adhering to the standards.

Manufacturing Carbide Inserts

Producing precision carbide inserts involves carefully controlled powder metallurgy processes and state-of-the-art finishing steps:

1. Milling and Blending

Source powders are milled to desired particle sizes and intimately blended to achieve uniform distribution in the mixture.

2. Pressing

The feedstock is pressed into ‘green’ parts using dies machined to tight dimensional tolerances.

3. Sintering

Green inserts are consolidation to full density by heating below melting point to create durable cemented carbides.

4. Edge Preparation

The sintered part’s cutting edges are profiled using grinding or other methods to hone and prepare them for application.

5. Coating

Optional PVD, CVD or other coating processes are used to deposit wear-resistant layers over substrate.

Carbide grade composition, powder characteristics, pressing parameters, sintering method, edge treatment and coatings all determine product performance.

Grades of Carbide Inserts

Carbide inserts are produced in a wide range of compositions or ‘grades’ tailored to different work materials – steels, stainless steels, cast iron, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, plastics and more.

GradeDescriptionKey ElementsHardness
Uncoated carbideBase sintered micrograin or submicron tungsten or titanium carbide substrate without any coatingWC-Co <6% cobalt88-93 HRA
PVD-coatedPhysical vapor deposition applied 2-25 μm coatings like TiN, TiCN, TiAlNUnderlying mixed carbide92-94 HRA
CVD-coatedChemical vapor deposited 8-12 μm coatings including aluminum oxideFine grained tungsten carbide93+ HRA
CermetBinderless nano-scale chromium carbide-nickel chromeCr3C2-NiCr88-92 HRA
CBN/PCBNPolycrystalline cubic boron nitride second hardest material knownCBN-ceramic binder90+ HRA

Higher cobalt content allows fracture toughness while ultrafine grain tungsten carbide provides maximal hardness and heat resistance for more demanding applications on exotic alloys or hardened materials.

manchester carbide inserts

Coatings for Carbide Inserts

Coatings deposited over the carbide insert substrate lower cutting forces and temperatures while increasing lubricity and wear resistance. Common types include:

CoatingDescriptionThicknessKey Properties
TiNTitanium nitride2-4 μmGold color standard coating
TiCNTitanium carbonitride2-4 μmHigher hardness and lubricity than TiN
TiAlNTitanium aluminum nitride4-25 μmOxidation resistance, high hot hardness
Al2O3Aluminum oxide8-12 μmLow friction, insulation, thermal shock resistance
DLCDiamond-like carbon1-5 μmExtreme hardness, inertness, low friction

Thicker coatings allow multiple regrinds while preserving insert integrity beneath. More advanced coatings like TiSiN, ZrN and TiAlCrN suit specific work materials in demanding environments.

Styles of Carbide Inserts

Carbide inserts come in hundreds of standardized and custom geometries to suit different applications and machining methods. Common styles include:

StyleDescriptionKey Attributes
Round insertCircular disc shapePositive geometry, multipurpose
Square insertSquare shape, often with clipped cornersAdded edge security, prevented rotation
Triangle insertEquilateral triangleGreatest number of cutting edges
RhombicDiamond shapeAdded strength and edge security
Other regular shapesPentagon, hexagon, octagon shaped insertsIndexability, specific edge configurations
Irregular shapesSpecialty geometriesComplex forms like gear profile cutters

nn addition to simple geometric styles, inserts may features chipbreakers, coolant holes or channels, Irregular shapes offer engineered geometries with complex cutting edge profiles to suit niche applications in aerospace, power generation, oil and gas industries.

Sizes of Carbide Inserts

Carbide inserts range from minute sizes for Swiss-type CNC lathe work to large indexable inserts for rough boring, milling and grooving operations. Standard inscribed circle dimensions include:

Inscribed Circle SizeTypical Applications
1/16″, 1.5 mmSwiss-type turning, small bores
3/16″, 3/8″, 5 mmFinish boring, turning
1/2″, 5/8″, 3/4″Turning, profiling, planing
1″ and aboveRough boring, peripheral milling

Larger carbide inserts allow greater metal removal rates increased productivity for roughing cuts before switching to smaller sizes for semifinishing and finishing passes. Specific edge lengths, corner radii, thickness and features are engineered for desired results.

Leading Carbide Insert Manufacturers

Major carbide insert brands catering to Manchester and global markets include:

ISCAR

Founded: 1952 in Israel
Headquarters: Migdal Tefen, Israel

  • Carbide grades: High micrograin and submicron substrates plus BARC ION iTAS TiAlN, ZrN coatings
  • Markets served: Automotive, aerospace, die mold, general machining
  • Brands: ISCAR, Ingersoll, TaeguTec metalworking tools

Kennametal

Founded: 1938
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA

  • Carbide grades: Beyond grades with nano-scale tungsten carbides and proprietary top layers
  • Markets served: Energy, transportation, general engineering
  • Brands: Kennametal, WIDIA, Hanita cutting tools

Korloy

Founded: 1977 Headquarters: Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea

  • Carbide grades: Tri-Tech sharpness with three-tier substrate, coatings and top layers
  • Markets served: Automotive, die and mold
  • Brands: Korloy, Addison, Mirae, CrownCUT carbide inserts

Kyocera Unimerco

Founded: 1959 Headquarters: Ann Arbor, Michigan USA

  • Carbide grades: Ultra-fine grain carbide grades plus advanced coating technology
  • Markets served: Aerospace, automotive, medical, mold and die
  • Brands: Kyocera, plus seven merged companies

Mitsubishi Materials

Founded: 1970
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan

  • Carbide grades: Ultra-smooth NHS micrograin substrates, Miracle coating technology
  • Markets served: Automotive, die mold
  • Brands: Mitsubishi carbide inserts and cutting tools

Sandvik Coromant

Founded: 1942 Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden

  • Carbide grades: CoroTurn wisker-reinforced grades like GC4330 for stainless steels
  • Markets served: Aerospace, automotive, general machining
  • Brands: Sandvik Coromant round tools for turning

Tungaloy

Founded: 1968 Headquarters: Arlington Heights, Illinois USA

  • Carbide grades: Micrograin MC and Nanograde NM hard part turning
  • Markets served: Die mold, automotive, medical
  • Brands: Tungaloy round cutting tools for industry

Walter Tools

Founded: 1919 Headquarters: Tübingen, Germany

  • Carbide grades: Duratomic ultra-fine grain with nano-structured Twin Adaptive coating
  • Markets served: Automotive, aviation, power engineering
  • Brands: Walter Tools metalworking and cutting tools

These plus other manufacturers offer wide selections of carbide insert grades, geometries, sizes and customizable specifications to suit all types of machining in Manchester area manufacturing environments.

Carbide Insert Styles Comparison

ParameterRound InsertSquare InsertTriangular Insert
Edge securityFairGoodGood
Indexability2-8 edges2-8 edges3-6 edges
Application fitGeneral purposeAdded strengthMaximum edges
Replaceable tipsBrazedClampedClamped
Relative costLowModerateHigh

Choose style based on rigidity required, max number of usable cutting edges and operating parameters. Coolant delivery method also impacts selection.

tungsten carbide lathe tool inserts

Carbide vs. Other Tool Materials

Carbide vs. High Speed Steel

Carbide inserts last 10-20X longer tool life than HSS tools. Much higher hot hardness and wear resistance. However, carbide more brittle with less strength and shock resistance versus tougher HSS.

Carbide vs. Ceramics

Silicon nitride ceramics approach diamond in hardness but are chemically inert unlike diamond. Ceramics more temperature sensitive with lower impact strength. Costlier than carbide inserts.

Carbide vs. cBN/PCBN

Polycrystalline CBN second hardest material exhibits thermal stability for high speed machining of irons/steels. More expensive than carbide inserts but lower wear rates at extreme parameters.

Carbide vs. Diamond

Natural and polycrystalline diamond have much higher hardness than carbide with lower friction and high heat conductivity. However, carbide tougher for interrupted cuts. Diamond costly and reacts with ferrous materials.

No universally best insert material exists. Carbide strikes optimal balance of wear resistance and transverse rupture strength across the widest range of applications from roughing to finishing. Advanced carbide grades continue pushing performance barriers matching or exceeding exotic cutting tool materials.

FAQ

Q: What carbide grade is suitable for machining stainless steel or other alloys?

A: For austenitic or duplex stainless steels, consider coated grades with medium cobalt content like 10% cobalt. Avoid ultrafine grades as lower cobalt offers better shock resistance.

Q: How are carbide coating properties matched to workpiece materials?

A: Hard coatings like TiAlN sustain high temperatures when machining nickel alloys. Low-friction coatings help on composites and sticky alloys. Specialized coatings continue expanding work material compatibility.

Q: When are ground versus molded chipbreaker geometries used?

A: Ground chipbreakers allow precise edge profiles but are costlier. Molded geometries easier to mass produce through pressing but less defined. Both work with proper selection.

Q: What are recommended insert handling practices?

A: Always wear gloves when handling to prevent skin oils transfer. Use proper insert boxes with separated compartments to avoid contact or edge damage during storage. Reject chipped or compromised inserts.

Q: When to use carbide inserts versus replaceable carbide tip tooling?

A: Inserts quickly index to fresh cutting edges. Replaceable tips allow custom shank configurations. Choice depends on setup flexibility required and ability to precisely position inserts.

know more Tungsten carbide

Share This Post:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Table of Contents

Most Popular

Get In Touch

Get in touch with us

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
On Key

Related Posts

Contact Truer Now

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.