Carbide inserts were developed for the machining processes in industry and manufacturing. Over time, newer geometric shapes of inserts were developed to create unique cutting and boring properties. Additionally, some carbide inserts were developed to address specific boring and cutting problems. To familiarize yourself with some of these tools, here is a sampling of both the common and unusual shapes of carbide inserts.
Common Carbide Insert Shapes
Circle
Circle inserts produce the obvious; rounded holes and rounded objects. This was the original shape of carbide inserts when they were first developed. The rest of the geometric family, plus improvements on the circle, followed.
Square
A multitude of squares came next. The four corners of a square made these inserts even better than circles at carving and cutting because the four points/corners of the square insert chipped away a lot of material during the boring process. The faster the machine spins, the more the square insert's corners dig into and through a material.
Triangle
Taking cues from the corners of squares, the development of a triangle insert creates a smaller bore hole because a triangle's three corners create a tighter and more compact force than four corners when the tool spins. The effect of the bore is different too; there are fewer rough spots inside the material where the triangle insert's corners gouged the material.
More Unusual Insert Shapes
There are a couple of more unusual shapes for carbide inserts. These create very uniquely-shaped holes and textured surfaces. They may not be used as often as the other three shapes mentioned above.
Diamond
The diamond, if you can picture this, tends to create an oblong opening, almost like an oval, but not quite. The top and bottom points are the most responsible for the unusual bore shape, while its shorter side points barely touch the material as it spins. As a texturizer, its long points smack the material every few inches or every few centimeters, depending on whether you buy the standard or metric version of this insert.
Trigon
A trigon is a polygon that has the basic shape of a triangle, but with three extra shorter points located midway along each side of the triangle. It is very different, and the bore it produces is quite an unusual shape. However, it does do a very decorative sort of texturing, something you will have to see demonstrated or try for yourself.
Contact a company, like Olson Carbide, for more help.
Share26 November 2018
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