1040 – 10 – Cut Back on Tool Wear

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On a long enough timeline, all cutting tools will fail. Every operation combines a lot of different forces that inevitably damage the cutting tool over time.

Cutting tools can exhibit tool wear in many ways: Flank wear develops on the front surface, the cutting edge, of the cutting tool. Crater wear is a depression above the cutting edge. It is usually caused by diffusion as chips move up the face of the cutting tool and touches the top of the insert. Chipping is the erosion of the cutting edge caused by an inappropriate feed rate.

Of all the types of tool wear, flank wear is the least damaging, because it leads to longer tool life and is the most predictable type of wear. Furthermore, it may be a sign that the rate of speed or feed may need to be changed.