Cutting Edge Wear
A tool that is no longer able to produce a satisfactory cut can tell us alot about your cutting tool application. Whether or not you are achieving your maximum tool life, or if the edge is failing before the most wear is achieved. There are many different types of wear, and by assesing the type in your application we may be able to save you money.
Healthy Wear
Image on the right shows the top view of a carbide tipped saw blade that has a favorable wear pattern. The corner of the tooth is showings signs of abrasive wear caused by extended time spent in the contact with the working material. The final result is a rounding of the once sharp cutting edge. More tool life may be achieved with a harder cutting material, however this can lead to increased risk of mechanical failure (see below).
Unhealthy Wear
The image on the right shows the top view of a carbide tipped saw that has unfavorable wear pattern. The corner of the tooth has broken due to impact or shock in the cutting application. If this occurs frequently then a tougher more impact resistant cutting material must be selected. Although tougher cutting materials are usually less wear resistant it will extend the tool life. Currently the failure mode is mechanical breakage of the carbide, so the full wear resistance of the cutting material is not currently being achieved.
Other Wear or Failure
- Chemical wear - Binder in the carbide is chemically leached while cutting causing the cutting edge to crumble
- Plastic deformation - Common when harder materials are being cut, the cutting edge actually deforms due to high hardness of working material
- Thermal fracturing - Sudden changes in temperature cause fracturing of the cutting edge
- Build up cutting edge - Work piece material sticks to or builds up on cutting edge, can lead to mechanical failure of cutting edge, or rapid edge decay
In order for your maximum tool life to be realized, careful consideration must be taken in select the proper cutting material. Royce//Ayr cutting tools has the access to a wide array of cutting tools, complex cutting tool geometries, and Coatings to ensure your lowest cost per cut is being realized.
