Tour any tool-and-die facility or machine shop and chances are that you’ll find solid-end, tipped and indexable cutting tools at work.

As the name implies, a solid-end cutter is a one-piece part with a cutting end and an opposite end that fits into the cutting machinery, such as a drill bit inserted into a drill press.

A tipped cutter consists of a shank, possibly High Speed Steel, and a separate cutting portion, such as tungsten carbide, brazed, welded or screwed to the shank. Tipped cutters allow for a rugged shank and a harder cutting material in a single assembly.

An indexable cutter is a form of tipped cutter comprised of a tool holder and a tool head fitted with indexable (replaceable) cutting inserts. These indexable inserts do the actual cutting. They require only a fraction of cutting material versus solid-piece cutters. Inserts can be rotated or flipped to present a fresh edge, extending the life of the insert. The tool head can be repurposed for multiple applications or materials by changing out the inserts. The most common insert materials are cemented carbide, polycrystalline diamond, and cubic boron nitride.

Indexable inserts are available for virtually every cutting action, including boring, cut-offs, drilling, grooving, milling, profiling, reaming, threading and turning.

Which insert should I use?

Solid cutters often provide more favorable results in terms of stability and accuracy, but this difference may be negligible given the cost savings and versatility of indexable cutting systems. Indexable inserts are relatively inexpensive to replace vs the cost of a solid carbide tool. If a solid piece chips it can often be reconditioned, but worn indexable inserts are usually replaced and recycled.

Your workpiece material, application, budget and throughput needs are the primary factors driving the choice of insert. Choose the insert grade appropriate for the material and the size for the holder. Most OEMs provide this information on their websites.

ISO 1832:2017 “establishes a code for the designation of the usual types of indexable inserts for cutting tools” including specifications for insert materials.

It is worth noting that cutting machinery is not specific to a given cutter style. Most machines can handle solid, tipped and indexable cutters as long as the shank fits, although performance may vary.

As worldwide demand for tungsten carbide continues to soar, and as cutting technology advances, indexable cutters will play a greater role in the machining sector.

With thanks to Brett Wallner, BlackHawk Inside Sales, for his contributions to this blog.