With cutting tool inserts education and training, you can learn how to operate cutting tools, find out how to select the correct insert and determine ways to increase productivity. Often, this education can help you advance your career in the field.

In some cases education and training can help you identify ways to make a product better. At other times, information on choosing a cutting tool insert can help you improve your cuts. When you look into educational opportunities, you might want to consider the following options:

1. Find sources to help you understand how machining inserts can save you money.

2. Utilize alternative learning methods that allow you to learn at home.

3. Attend seminars and events held by leaders in the industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn to increase productivity by understanding how cutting inserts work the best

Education and training can help you determine the best methods for using tool blanks. Using cutting tool inserts correctly can increase productivity and reduce the cost involved in replacing the inserts. Keep in mind that many cutting tool inserts manufacturers offer classes or educational information on their products.

I recommend: Seco Tools hosts the SECO Technical Educational Program (STEP). It is designed to help reduce the technology cap, allowing businesses to become more productive. Learn how cutting tool inserts wear by reading the abstract in ScienceDirect. This article can help you determine the best way to use tools.

Take advantage of classes on inserts for cutting tools that you can do in your own home

There are a variety of ways you can learn about cutting tool inserts at home. These include CD-ROMs, online classes and tutorials. One of the benefits is that you can set your own pace for learning. Often you can plan your learning around your current work schedule.

I recommend: To get basic information about cutting tool inserts, order a CD-ROM from Tech Directions. The course provides digital movies and 3D animations to help you learn how to use cutting tools and inserts. The Society of Manufacturing Engineers sells a CD-ROM on the cutting tools materials. Tooling University provides online classes designed for manufacturers. It includes a course on optimizing insert life.

Find seminars on cutting inserts to increase your knowledge

Cutting tool insert manufacturers and associations for the industry are two sources where you can look to find seminars. Often companies host seminars to kick off a new product or service.

I recommend: Ingersoll Cutting Tools offers virtual seminars on cutting tools and edges. It offers these application seminars as part of its customer service. ISCAR hosts seminars and training throughout the year. It provides these at worldwide marketing centers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  There are a variety of cutting tool inserts designed for special purposes. If you plan to work with one type of cutting tool specifically, consider focusing your education in that area.

Cutting tool inserts and tool blanks are replaceable parts you attach to tools that cut metal, plastics, stone, wood and other materials. They contain the sharp edge of a tool for cutting applications like boring, drilling, grooving, milling, sawing and shearing.

Cutting tool inserts come in different shapes and sizes. The one you need depends on the task you use it for. They can be round, square, rectangular, triangular, rhomboid, pentagonal or octagonal. Using high-quality inserts can increase your productivity by speeding up the manufacturing process and improving accuracy in making your product.

1. Find cutting tool inserts manufacturers who keep abreast of the latest technology and create innovative products.

2. Contact manufacturers who make custom cutting inserts or specialty inserts, if you find it difficult to get what you need ready-made.

3. Consider money-saving options like refurbished inserts or wholesale inserts for cutting tools.

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find state-of-the-art inserts for cutting tools

Technology is advancing in the area of coated cutting tool inserts, with new coatings that reduce wear. New materials for cutting tool inserts include ceramic, cermet, silicon nitride, CBN and PCD. You can increase the uses of your cutting tools by upgrading to new, longer-lasting and more efficient products.

I recommend: DirectIndustry provides product inforamtion for Sandvik Coromant USA, which offers a new generation of inserts for steel milling, steel turning and cast iron milling. MMS Online lists products for ISCAR, which keeps abreast with the newest coating technology and continually expands its line of inserts. Download a cataloge for NTK Cutting Tools, which uses the latest technology to create their cutting tool inserts.

Shop for custom or specialty metal cutting inserts

If you're having trouble finding the exact type of cutting insert you need for a new application, consider having the tool insert custom made. It may cost more, but be worth it in the long run because you'll be increasing what your cutting tool can do.

I recommend: MacDonald Carbide Co. makes carbide blanks for inserts and specializes in custom-made parts. Custom Cutting Tools, Inc. makes specialty cutting tools for precision turning and milling of metal, plastic and wood.

Look into purchasing refurbished or wholesale machining inserts

You can save money and reduce the waste of metal when you get your cutting tool inserts refurbished rather than simply scrapping them out. If you prefer new yet affordable inserts, try the option of ordering cutting tool inserts at wholesale prices. This is a great option to increase efficient production if you go through a lot of inserts quickly and need them replaced often.

I recommend: Stegman Tool can fix damaged inserts at a price 40% to 50% less than a new insert would cost. At Wholesale Tool Co., Inc. you can order cutting tool inserts at wholesale prices.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before buying cutting tool inserts from a particular company, see what quality certifications it holds. If the manufacturer has ISO certification, you can be sure it has a globally recognized level of quality. ISO updates its certification standards every six months, so look for recently approved companies.

Cutting tools are important for any manufacturing company, as the quality of products depends upon the properties of cutting tools. A cutting tool insert is a small part attached to cutting tools that can be replaced after pre-defined operation time.

If you want to buy cutting tool inserts, you will need to be conversant with certain terms that indicate specifications, types or materials for cutting tool inserts. This guide will introduce you to some technical terms, such as hardness, cold or hot forming, cutting speed and cermet.

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hardness

Selection of a cutting tool insert depends upon the hardness of the component material. The hardness of a material is its ability to resist deformation due to cutting, stretching, bending and other similar operations. There are various scientific scales for measurement of hardness of materials, such as Brinnell Hardness, Rockwell Hardness and Vickers Hardness.

I recommend: To understand the definition of hardness and relevant hardness scales, read through the metal forming and welding glossary at Advantage Fabricated Metals, a division of Corrugated Metals.

Cold or hot forming

As the name indicates, a cold forming (or cold working) process is a metal forming operation carried out at room temperature. A hot forming process is carried out at high temperatures, as metals and alloys exhibit less yield strength under higher temperatures. While buying a cutting tool insert, you will need to specify whether you want to use it for a cold or hot forming operation.

I recommend: Sandmeyer Steel Company, a supplier of industrial steel products, offers a glossary of technical terms, including cold forming and hot forming.

Cutting speed

Cutting speed can be defined as the relative speed between the cutting tool insert edge and component material just ahead of this cutting edge.

I recommend: For the definition of this technical term, read through the glossary by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech.

Tool steel

Once you understand the different specifications, you must learn about various types of materials for cutting tool inserts. Tool steel includes a typical variety of plain carbon steel and alloy steel materials that are suitable for cutting tools and inserts.

I recommend: NASS, an information provider for the steel industry, offers a glossary of technical terms explaining various steel categories.

CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride)

CBN is a ceramic material that is very useful for manufacturing cutting tool inserts. CBN inserts have applications in high speed cutting operations.

I recommend: To understand the basics of CBN and its applications, read through the grinding technology glossary at Abrasive Engineering Society. To learn more about CBN, its grades and applications, browse through information at NTK Cutting Tools.

Cermet

Cermet is another popular tool insert material. It is a composite material of metal and ceramic constituents produced by different processes, such as agglomeration, sintering and spray drying.

I recommend: You can read through the engineering glossary at International Technical Services. To learn more about cermet and cermet powders, you can also browse through the metallurgical glossary at TD Center.