Drill Substrate Guide: HSS vs Cobalt vs Carbide

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Drilling applications require careful consideration of material, production volume, and machine setup to ensure optimal hole quality, tool life, and cost. Harvey Performance Company offers drills in three primary substrates: carbide, cobalt, and high-speed steel (HSS). This guide breaks down the differences between the drilling substrate options and helps you choose the right tool for your specific application.

Solid Carbide Drills

Advantages of Carbide Drills

  1. Extreme Hardness and Wear Resistance
    • Carbide drills maintain sharp cutting edges longer than HSS or cobalt, even in abrasive materials. This reduces tool changes and helps to maintain consistent hole quality.
  2. High Heat Tolerance
    • Carbide can withstand cutting temperatures above 2,100°F (1,150°C), allowing higher speeds and feeds for faster material removal and shorter cycle times.
  3. Precision Machining
    • Carbide maintains tight tolerances and excellent surface finish in hard steels, tool steels, ceramics, composites, and high-temperature alloys, making it ideal for precise, high-performance applications.
  4. Long-term Cost Efficiency
    • Although the initial cost is higher, carbide’s longer tool life reduces frequent tool changes, lowering overall costs in high-volume production.

Drawbacks of Carbide as a Drill Substrate

  1. Brittle Nature
    • Carbide is more prone to chipping or breaking if the machine setup is not rigid, feed rates are too aggressive, or vibration is present.
  2. Regrinding Requirements
    • Carbide usually requires CNC grinding equipment for precise sharpening, unlike HSS, which can often be reground using conventional machines.
  3. Initial Investment
    • Carbide has a higher upfront cost, which may not be justified for use in short runs or soft materials, where less expensive HSS or cobalt drills can provide adequate performance.

What are the Ideal Applications for Carbide Drills?

Carbide drills excel in:

  • Large production runs requiring consistent tool life
  • Hard materials above 45 HRC, such as tool steels and high-temperature alloys
  • Applications requiring high-speed cutting and maximum material removal
  • Situations demanding precise hole tolerances and surface finish

Example: Valor Holemaking High Performance Carbide Drills are engineered to provide unmatched precision and repeatability in difficult-to-machine materials. Material-specific geometries and coolant-through designs improve heat management and tool life in demanding applications.

High Speed Steel (HSS) Drills

Advantages of HSS Drills

  1. Tough and Durable
    • High Speed Steel is the least brittle of the three materials, reducing the risk of breakage during less rigid setups.
  2. Easier to Regrind
    • HSS Drills can be sharpened and reconditioned using conventional grinding equipment, which reduces shop complexity and cost.
  3. Cost-Effective
    • The lower cost-per-tool makes HSS ideal for small jobs or low-volume production where long-term tool life is less critical.
  4. Versatile for Soft Materials
    • HSS performs well in most non-ferrous metals providing reliable results for general-purpose machining without the higher cost of harder substrates.

Drawbacks of High Speed Steel Drills

  1. Limited Heat Tolerance
    • High Speed Steel Drills can only handle cutting temperatures up to 1,100°F (600°C), restricting cutting speeds and material removal rates.
  2. Shorter Tool Life
    • HSS Edges dull faster than cobalt or carbide, requiring more frequent replacement, affecting productivity.
  3. Not Ideal for Very Hard Materials
    • High speed steel tools cannot reliably machine steels above 45 HRC or high-temperature alloys.

What are the Ideal Applications for HSS Drills?

HSS drills are ideal for:

  • Soft materials like aluminum, brass, and other non-ferrous metals
  • Small production runs or one-off jobs where tool life is less critical
  • Shops without CNC grinding capability
  • Situations where cost and ease of regrind outweigh long-term performance

Example: Titan USA High Speed Steel Drills provide reliable performance for general-purpose machining and softer materials, offering versatility for low- to medium-volume operations.

Cobalt Drills

Advantages to Cobalt Drilling

  1. Intermediate Hardness
    • Cobalt is harder than HSS but less brittle than carbide, providing a balance of toughness and wear resistance.
  2. Higher Heat Resistance
    • Cutting temperatures up to 1,580–1,616°F (860–880°C) enable faster speeds and feeds than HSS.
  3. Moderate Cost
    • Cobalt drills offer longer tool life than HSS without the higher upfront cost of carbide.
  4. Capability for Harder Materials
    • Can machine steels up to 58 HRC, handling materials that high speed steel struggles with, while remaining more forgiving than carbide.

Cobalt Drill Disadvantages

  1. Less Wear-Resistant than Carbide
    • While cobalt drills are harder than HSS, they are still not as wear-resistant as carbide. In extremely abrasive materials, cobalt drills will wear much faster than solid carbide, which can increase tool changes and impact long-term cost in high-production runs.
  2. Slightly More Brittle than HSS
    • Cobalt is harder than HSS, making it more prone to chipping or breakage. Regrinding may require careful handling or CNC equipment to maintain geometry.
  3. Not Suitable for Extreme High-Temperature Alloys or Very Hard Materials
    • Cobalt cannot maintain performance in very hard steels or high-temperature alloys. Carbide is needed for materials above 60 HRC or extreme heat applications.

What Applications are Ideal for Cobalt Drills?

Cobalt drills work well for:

  • Medium-volume jobs with harder materials
  • Applications requiring more speed and heat tolerance than HSS
  • Shops seeking a balance of cost, tool life, and performance

Example: Titan USA Cobalt Drills are a solid choice for harder-to-machine materials that do not require carbide, providing longevity and moderate speed capabilities.

What Factors Influence What Drill Substrate to Choose?

Every drilling job is unique, and the optimal drill substrate depends on your specific requirements. Key considerations include:

  • Material Hardness
  • Production Volume and Job Size
  • Machine Rigidity
  • Budget
  • Regrinding Capabilities
  • Desired Cutting Speed and Material Removal Rate

No drill fits every job, and these factors are intended as a guide to help machinists choose the right substrate to improve efficiency, precision, and cost-effectiveness.

Micro 100 Broaching Tools: Everything You Need to Know

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With the release of Micro 100’s 2025 Spring Catalog comes a new family of broaching tools, marking their debut within both the Micro 100 and Harvey Performance brands. Alongside this tooling launch are several differences in application methods and recommended running parameters.

What is Broaching?

Broaching, while performed in a lathe, is slightly different from the classic boring and grooving operations we encounter daily.

In a traditional turning operation, the workpiece rotates while the tool remains stationary. In a broaching operation, neither the workpiece nor the tool spins. Instead, the tool advances toward the workpiece and removes material in very small increments, similar to planing a block of wood.

Micro 100’s Offering

All broaches come on a Micro 100 Quick-Change shank, with sizes ranging from .1875” to .375”, depending on the broach size. These QC broaching tools are coolant-fed to promote better chip evacuation. An optional nACRo coating is available, enhancing resistance to wear and heat, which is especially useful in applications involving difficult-to-machine materials.

Keyway Broaches

Keyway broaches, as their name suggests, are used to cut keyways commonly found in power transmission applications involving gears and pulleys.

Micro 100 offers two styles of keyway broaches, available in both standard and metric sizing. This offering provides machinists with a range of sizes that are necessary to meet their application needs.

Imperial Offering

Micro 100’s standard-sized broaches come in widths of .0938”, .1250”, .1875”, and .2500”. Maximum broach depths of .500”, 1.000”, or 1.500” are available, depending on the broach width.

Metric Offering

Our metric keyway broaches are available in nominal widths from 2 mm to 6 mm. Each size is measured according to the desired fit and offered in C11, JS9, or P9 tolerance grades.

C11 reflects a “loose fit” tolerance, useful in applications where the keyway may be exposed to corrosion, dust, or other contaminants, or where deformation may occur.

JS9 represents a “normal fit”—not a press fit, but not a loose fit either. This is often required in situations where the key needs to be adjusted or shifted without much force or difficulty.

The tightest of the three offered tolerance classes is P9, which represents a “press fit.” In this case, the keyway is cut slightly smaller than the key, forcing it into the slot to create a very tight and secure connection.

Square Broaching

Micro 100 also offers square broaching tools. These broaches, like the keyway style, are pushed into the workpiece and remove material in multiple passes. They are primarily used to create the square socket found at the top of certain screws, commonly seen in machinery, construction, or other industrial applications.

Our square broaches come in metric sizes and can cut square holes ranging from 1.5 mm to 4.0 mm. When examining the geometry of these tools, you’ll notice they are cut to one corner of the square profile. Unlike keyway broaches, they must be rotated 90° when one corner is cut to create the remainder of the square form.

Although they have a fixed broach width, our square broaches are capable of cutting a range of square sizes. Take our QBRSQ-1520, for example—it features a .056” width and can cut squares from .059” to .078” (1.5 mm to 2.0 mm). When selecting a tool, it’s important to base your choice on the desired finished hole size, rather than the width of the cutter itself.

Hexagonal Broaching

The final option in Micro 100’s broaching lineup is our hexagonal broach style. These tools function similarly to the square broaches mentioned earlier, with the form created in six portions. Our hexagonal broaches can cut forms as small as .078” (2.0 mm) and up to .315” (8.0 mm). As with the square broaches, it’s important to select a tool based on the desired finish size of the hole, rather than the tooth width itself.

Hexagonal holes are often designed to work in conjunction with Allen keys. They are also commonly used for socket head cap screws. These fasteners are widely used across various industries, including automotive and construction settings.

What to do Before Making Your First Chips

Before making a cut with Micro 100’s broaching tools, there are a few important things to ensure are in place. Due to the high force involved in broaching, your machine should be equipped with a mechanical spindle lock. This lock helps achieve a higher-quality finish and, more importantly, improves feature accuracy.

The use of coolant is also strongly encouraged whenever possible, as it helps increase tool life, improve surface finish, and enhance chip evacuation. If your application requires broaching within a blind hole, be sure to create a cross hole or relief groove at the bottom of the hole to allow chips to evacuate properly.

Mastering Square & Hexagonal Broaching

To begin, the broach dimensions must be measured accurately and programmed into the machine. Ensure the tool is positioned at the 12 o’clock location to allow proper chip evacuation.

If cutting a hexagonal profile, the pre-drill should be approximately 1.035 times the desired feature size (1.1× for a square profile).

Before the first pass is made, visually check the tool path by positioning the tool at the starting point of the stroke, and program a stop there to verify correct alignment.

After each pass, ensure the tool is radially clear of the groove before fully retracting it. On the final return stroke, completely remove the broach from the hole. Finally, rotate the workpiece by 60 degrees—90 degrees for a square profile—and repeat the cutting process for the remaining corners.

Best Practices for Keyway Broaching

Keyway broaches require an additional calculation to determine the correct starting position for the first pass. An example calculation is provided below.

After the initial pass is completed, continue cutting normally until the desired keyway size is met. As with square and hex broaching, ensure the tool is radially clear of the groove after each pass before retracting. On the final return stroke, completely remove the broach from the hole.

In Summary

Micro 100s offering of broaching tools is fit for a large variety of broaching applications you may come across. Whether square, standard, or hexagonal, metric or imperial, Micro 100 has the tools to help you cut every step of the way.

To see the full range of tooling that Micro 100 has to offer, please visit our website micro100.com.

For any further questions regarding our broaching tools or Micro 100 as a whole, please don’t hesitate to call us at +1 844-393-8665 or email us at [email protected].

The Key Differences Between Helical’s Tool Coatings

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Tool coatings are added to protect against the forces that wear down cutting tools. They play a critical role in CNC machining by reducing heat generation and friction while enhancing overall tool performance. Below is an overview of Helical Solutions’ coating options, including which tool families they pair with, the applications they’re best suited for, and helpful application tips.

Helical Solutions demonstrates its commitment to performance by delivering high-performance carbide end mills and tools designed to reduce cycle times, improve part finishes, and extend tool life. This is achieved through a focus on exceptional quality and innovation, utilizing precision CNC manufacturing, advanced design techniques, and a world-class team of engineers and technical experts. Helical Solutions aims to be a true superior product performance, and responsive technical support.

The following information will help machinists understand the differences between Helical’s coating options and how to select the right one based on material and application.

What Are Tool Coatings and Why Are They Important?

Tool coatings are applied to a tool’s cutting surface through a process called PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition). PVD and CVD are two different types of coating applications, with PVD being the common process for Helical’s tools.

This near-vacuum process distributes micron-thick layers evenly onto a properly prepared tool, helping it maintain a sharper cutting edge. When selecting tool coatings, machinists should consider material type, coolant use, and how the

material and operation may affect the cutting edges. Understanding these factors is essential to extending tool life.

Some key benefits of coatings include improved thermal resistance, better chip evacuation, increased lubricity (which allows chips to slide more easily down the flute), and higher microhardness. These properties reduce tool wear, enhance performance in material-specific applications, and extend tool life during production runs.

Helical’s coating lineup is designed with specific materials and applications in mind. Selecting the right coating for your job can have a major impact on tool life, heat control, and overall performance.

How to Choose the Right Coating:

Choosing the proper coating for your application is crucial, as each Helical coating is optimized for specific materials. Consider the following when selecting:
– What material are you machining?
– Will the material work harden quickly under heat?
– What is its coefficient of friction?
– Will you be using coolant?
– What is your expected tool life for this production run?

Application Tips:

Coatings in Coolant Applications:

Most coatings perform better with coolant, but there are exceptions.

Tplus performs well in many materials, but when cutting hardened steels, the combination of high heat and coolant can cause thermal shock, resulting in tool fractures.

In composites and non-metallic materials—often machined with Dplus—using coolant can create a slurry and increase wear between the tool and workpiece. For these materials, dry machining is generally preferred.

Zplus vs. Nplus vs. Dplus

For aluminum and non-ferrous applications, coatings are found on Helical’s HVAL and HMAF tool families.

– Zplus is Helical’s longstanding coating for aluminum and non-ferrous materials.
– Nplus improves tool life compared to Zplus and features a harder, smoother coating—ideal for larger production jobs in tougher materials.
– Dplus is a tetrahedral amorphous carbon coating known for extreme wear resistance and performance in abrasive materials. For shops seeking a DLC-style coating, Dplus is Helical’s recommendation.

Uncoated (or bright) tools can be used in aluminum applications, but adding a coating generally improves productivity and helps prevent material from welding onto the tool.

Aplus vs. Tplus

– Aplus is a tough, multi-layer coating that enhances adhesion, edge retention, and heat resistance. It performs best in steels under 45 Rc. Helical’s HSV, HEV, and HSF tool families are excellent choices with this coating. Aplus is not recommended for aluminum, as it can cause galling (when material adheres to the tool), negatively impacting cutting performance and chip evacuation.

– Tplus is a premium coating offering top-tier performance in ferrous materials. It has a slight edge over Aplus, particularly in stainless steels and nickel alloys, and is optimal for cutting materials between 45 Rc and 65 Rc. It supports higher temperatures, maintains edge retention, and reduces wear. However, due to its hardness, it may generate more heat—and, as mentioned earlier, coolant can sometimes lead to thermal shock in these conditions.

tplus coated helical end mills in holders following the coating process

Tplus has also shown success in titanium applications. Both Aplus and Tplus are suitable choices for these materials. You can find Tplus coatings on Helical’s HSV, HEV, and HVSS-6 tool families. The HVSS-6 line, in particular, has proven optimal for cutting 316 stainless steels.

There are no setup differences between these coatings when programming your machine. Speeds and feeds depend on the specific toolpath and family used, though coatings generally allow for higher cutting speeds. Choosing the correct coating for your material results in longer tool life and more efficient production.

Tool Storage Recommendations

helical end mills in clear cases with green tops

For best results, Helical recommends storing tools in individual padded tubes rather than in shared bins. This prevents damage to flutes, cutting edges, and coatings. A clean, dry environment helps maintain tool quality and ensures consistent performance over time.

Conclusion

Tool coatings are essential for optimizing performance based on the material being machined. Helical’s coatings are engineered, tested, and proven to deliver the best results across specific materials and applications. By pairing the right tool family and coating, machinists can improve machining efficiency, enhance part quality, and extend tool life.

For more insights on cutting tool coatings, watch this episode of In the Loupe TV: Cutting Tool Coatings.

If you have additional questions about coatings or specific applications, contact Helical’s technical team for guidance at 1-866-543-5422 or by email. Helical’s experts are ready to help you find the ideal tool and coating combination for your needs.

The Experts’ Guide to CNC Engraving

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CNC engraving is a process that removes a small amount of material to create detailed images or shapes. Many manufacturers use this method for labeling parts or creating complex designs; however, not everyone is aware of the key techniques necessary for optimal results. When using an engraving tool, it is essential to consider several challenges that could affect both the tool and the operation.

Advantages of CNC Engraving

Compared to other engraving methods, CNC engraving is fast, consistent, and cost-effective. Thanks to their repeatability, CNC machines deliver consistent results when paired with a high-quality engraving tool. We suggest running the tool at a minimum of 6,000 RPM.

If your machine supports it, increasing the RPM can lead to even greater results. Running at lower speeds can negatively impact tool life. Choosing the right engraving tool requires considering production volume and tool engagement time. Key factors such as tip design, angle, and coating play a crucial role in maximizing efficiency and durability.

Proper Engraver Tool Selection

Most machinists understand that a square-corner end mill does not last as long as a corner-radius or ball-end mill due to its fragile cutting edge.

The same principle applies to CNC engraving tools. An engraver that comes to a sharp point is more fragile than one with a tipped-off or radius tip. For long production runs, consider using a tip-off or rounded tip design, as these geometries distribute cutting forces more evenly across the cutting edge, improving tool longevity. A tip-flat design will last longer than a pointed tip but not as long as a radius tip. If high-detail work is required, a pointed tip is preferable because it provides greater precision.

Pointed Tip Engraving Cutters
Tipped Off Engraving Cutters
Tip Radius Engraving Cutters

Environment and Detail Considerations

Similar to tip geometry, the engraving angle plays a critical role in visibility. The environment in which the engraving is used affects how well it can be seen. If the engraving is exposed to harsh conditions with elements like snow, mud, or dirt, debris can accumulate in the grooves, making it difficult to see and clean. A larger angle creates a wider groove, improving visibility and ease of cleaning.

The image below illustrates three different engraving angles offered by Harvey: the leftmost groove is 30° included, the middle groove is 60° included, and the rightmost groove is 120° included. Each of these engravings is only 0.009 inches deep.

Notice that the 120° engraving is more visible at a distance due to increased surface exposure. If a job requires precision and detail, a smaller angle is preferable. While geometry significantly impacts engraving visibility and tool longevity, another key factor in tool performance is the choice of coating.

Choosing a Tool Coating

A coated engraving tool will last longer than an uncoated one because the coating provides a protective barrier between the tool and the workpiece. Additionally, coatings help reduce heat absorption, increase lubricity, and decrease tool wear. Selecting the right coating depends on the material being machined.

For example, our AlTiN and AlTiN-Nano coatings perform best in stainless steel and nickel alloys. For non-ferrous materials such as aluminum or copper, our Amorphous Diamond coating is ideal. As an alternative to our Amorphous Diamond coating, we also offer ZrN or TiB2 coatings.

A common misconception is that diamond-coated tools can be used on ferrous materials. Instead, this leads to rapid heat generation and premature tool failure.

Successfully Running Your Engraver

Selecting the correct engraving tool is just as important as understanding how to operate it properly. Even the highest-quality tool will be wasted if not used correctly. As with any machining operation, you must consider depth of cut, work holding methods, and appropriate speeds and feeds

Cutting Speeds and Feeds for Engraving 

The tip is the most delicate area of the tool which makes running at the correct speed and feed rate crucial. Running at an incorrect speed and feed rate can cause deflection, which will lead to an inaccurate engraving, chipping, breaking, or a poor surface finish.

At Harvey, we recommend a minimum spindle speed of 6,000 RPM. Operating at higher RPMs, when possible, offers even better support for tool tip integrity.

Higher speeds ensure tool stability as it will be less likely to cause vibration and reduces heat buildup during operation. Running too slowly generates excess heat and vibration leading to chipping, breakage, or having a poor surface finish. To help maintain tool tip integrity, it is important to follow the recommended depth of cut and consider the way the engraver enters the material.

Determining Depth of Cut

Many machinists are unaware that taking cuts deeper than 0.009 inches can shorten the lifespan of a Harvey engraving tool. For depth of cut ranging from 0.001 inch to 0.009 inches, you can operate within our stated speed and feed guidelines. If the operation requires a deeper groove, the chip load must be reduced accordingly. For depths between 0.010 inches and 0.015 inches, reduce the chip load by 20%. For depths ranging from 0.016 inches to 0.020 inches, reduce the chip load by 30%. Depth of cut also influences visibility. A deeper cut made with a tool that has a smaller angle can provide similar visibility to a shallower cut made with a tool that has a larger angle.

The image below illustrates different engraving depths using a 30° included angle. From left to right, the depths are 0.009 inches, 0.015 inches, and 0.020 inches. As depth increases, visibility improves. When engaging the tool with the workpiece, it is best to ramp into the material to protect the tool tip.

We recommend a ramp angle of 1° to 3° for ferrous materials such as stainless steel, and 3° to 10° for non-ferrous materials like aluminum or copper. If ramping is not an option, you may plunge the tool into the material. However, the chip load must be reduced by 50% during entry. Once the desired depth is reached, you can return to the recommended running parameters. Another key consideration is ensuring the workpiece is securely held in place.

Workholding Considerations

Runout or vibration during engraving can result in uneven cuts and tool failure. To prevent this, ensure that engraving tools are held in a sturdy toolholder and that the workpiece is secured. A shrink-fit toolholder minimizes runout and provides excellent stability. While ER collets are acceptable, they wear overtime. To verify an ER collet’s suitability, place an indicator on the tool shank and rotate the tool within the collet. The goal is to achieve the least possible runout, ideally no more than 0.0003 inches.

The workpiece should also be properly secured, either in a vise or a fixture. To detect vibrations during operation, listen for irregular noise or feel for vibrations through the CNC machine door. For cooling, coolants are recommended for metallic workpieces, while an air blast is preferable for non-metallic materials such as plastic.

Conclusion

When selecting an engraving tool, it is essential to choose the correct geometry for the operation, as well as the appropriate coating for the material being machined. Regardless of tip geometry, the engraving tool’s tip is its most fragile part. Proper speed, feed rate, and depth of cut are crucial for maximizing tool life.

For metallic workpieces, a cooling method such as coolant is necessary, while non-metallic workpieces require an air blast. Before starting a new engraving operation, double-check tool runout and ensure that the workpiece is securely held in place.

By following these best practices, CNC engraving operations can achieve high precision, longevity, and optimal tool performance.

Are You Ready to Put Your Engraving Knowledge to Use?

Browse Harvey Tool’s full selection of precision engravers, coatings, and geometries designed for optimal performance in a wide range of materials.

Supporting Precision in Mold, Tool & Die Applications

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Mold, Tool, and Die manufacturing demands a high level of precision. Whether you’re machining hardened tool steels, creating detailed mold cavities, or producing dies with complex geometries, the tooling used plays a critical role in ensuring consistent, repeatable results. To explore the full selection of tools relevant to this industry, including application-specific geometries and coatings, visit Harvey Tool’s Mold, Tool & Die Featured Solutions page.

Harvey Tool offers a comprehensive range of tools specifically engineered to meet the unique challenges of the Mold, Tool & Die industry. From tools designed to reach deep cavities to those that maintain surface finish in demanding materials, this offering is built to support precision and reliability throughout the machining process.

Tools included in this lineup are:

  • CVD Diamond End Mills– This Harvey Tool lineup of Diamond Tooling for Non-Ferrous Materials features true crystalline CVD diamond on a solid carbide substrate, making it ideal for machining graphite, composites, green carbide, and green ceramics.
  • End Mills for Hardened Steels– Engineered for hardened steels from 46Rc to 68Rc, this tool includes the latest generation AlTiN Nano coating for enhanced hardness and thermal resistance.

  • End Mills for Aluminum Alloys– We know a part is only as successful as its finish. That’s why our aluminum finishing solutions are crafted for mirror-like surface quality.   

  • End Mills for Medium Alloy Steels– Engineered for versatility, these CNC-ground, AlTiN-coated tools excel in machining stainless, tool, and medium alloy steels.
  • Miniature Tapered End Mills– Tackling deep part features? Harvey Tool’s tapered Miniature End Mills offer unique geometries that take the challenge out of tough-to-reach cuts.

Diamond End Mills for Abrasive and Non-Ferrous Materials

Diamond tooling is essential to many moldmaking processes, particularly during electrode production and when machining non-metallic materials. Harvey Tool’s offering includes a wide selection of Diamond End Mills designed for use in abrasive and non-ferrous materials such as graphite, green carbide, green ceramics, and composites—materials commonly encountered in mold and die work.

These tools feature a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) coating to promote longer tool life and uphold tight tolerances over extended machining cycles.

Highlighted tooling includes:

Diamond End Mills are frequently used in electrode machining for EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining), where precision in non-metallic workpieces directly influences final mold quality.

All tools in the Mold, Tool & Die offering are fully stocked and available to ship same day, helping to reduce lead times and keep your production on schedule.

To view the full offering, including tools with specialized geometries and coatings, visit the Mold, Tool & Die Solutions page.

The Benefits of Combined Drill & Countersinks

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Two of the most frequently recurring operations across a variety of applications are CNC drilling and countersinking. Since these two processes are often interdependent, managing space in the tool crib and time lost on tool changes can become cumbersome when using dedicated tools for each operation. Using combined drill and countersinks eliminates these concerns and has become a go-to tool across machine shops.  

valor holemaking combined drill and countersink tools on a table with a slide caliper and ruler
Variety of Combined Drill & Countersinks

What is a Combination Drill & Countersink Tool?

A Combined Drill & Countersink is a specialized tool designed to perform two critical operations in one step: drilling a hole and creating a countersink. These tools are typically short and rigid, ideal for producing either a shallow conic or a center hole. Their double-ended design minimizes downtime by enabling quick transitions between tasks.

Valor Holemaking’s Combined Drill & Countersink

Key Features of Combined Drill & Countersinks

They feature a smaller drilling pilot and larger diameter countersink. The drill pilot resembles a spot drill, making it useful for predrilling applications. The stub length of the drill mitigates deflection and ensures accurate location of a hole’s center. When preparing a spot hole for a longer drill, it prevents walking or wobbling off-center. 

Common Applications for Combined Drill & Countersinks

Many holemaking applications begin with spotting and end with countersinking, making combination multi-functional tools cost-effective and time efficient. As the tool drills into the material, the larger countersink diameter chamfers the top edges, allowing fasteners to sit flush with the surface.

Where and How to Use a Combined Drill & Countersink

The primary use of a combined drill and countersink is to create center holes in materials that will be turned between two centers. These centers help accurately position a workpiece along its axis between a lathe chuck and tailstock. Live centers are used in applications requiring a high level of concentricity and support. They typically feature a 60° included angle, which is the angle most combined drills and countersinks are manufactured with. For this reason, combined drill and countersinks are often referred to as center drills.

Combined drill and countersinks are also essential in any application where screws need to sit flush in the workpiece. Holes need to be drilled and countersunk across all industries. Flush-mounted fasteners are required in applications such as aircraft panels and structural components, automotive engine components, boat hulls and marine components, electronic device housings, and covers of all types.

Example of countersunk hole

Types of Combination Drill/sinks: 60°, 82°, and 90° Angles

Harvey Tool and Valor Holemaking offer combined drill and countersinks in 60°, 82°, and 90° included angles. While 60° tools are most commonly used for center drilling, 82° and 90° included angles are designed to match the angles of the most popular flat and oval head screws. These tools allow users to create countersunk fastener holes in a single step.

Important Tips for Running Combination Drills

When running a combined drill-and-countersink, it is important to ensure that chiploads (IPR) are based on the drill diameter. Since the drill diameter is always smaller than the chamfer area, it is safer to use parameters designed for the drill portion of the tool rather than calculating an effective cutter diameter for the chamfer.

Valor Holemaking Combined Drill & Countersink in the Spindle
Valor Holemaking Combined Drill & Countersink in the Spindle

Why These Tools Are Essential in Machining

Combined drill & countersinks are cost-effective and efficient tools to have in your arsenal. Whether you’re preparing a workpiece for turning between centers, spot drilling, or creating countersunk holes for fasteners, these reliable tools complete the job quickly and effectively.

A Closer Look at Helical Solutions’ Tapered End Mills

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Helical Solutions offers a variety of Tapered End Mills designed to enhance performance and efficiency in tapered wall applications. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the geometry of tapered end mills and explore their common applications to understand when they could be utilized to optimize your CNC machining application.

Tapered End Mill Geometry

Tapered End Mills bring many advantages to machining compared to standard end mills, but what is a Tapered End Mill? A standard end mill will have the same cutting diameter throughout the whole length of cut, whereas a taper mills starts at the shank or neck at a larger diameter and tapers down at a specific angle.

The angle of the taper can vary, but Helical Solutions’ tools feature angles ranging from .05° to 5°, which allows for a broad spectrum of cutting operations. A tapered length of cut or tapered neck can also provide increased strength and rigidity, compared to that of a standard end mill. Having a tapered length of cut makes it easier to create flat tapered walls on 3-axis machines and leads to a better finish.

Tapered End Mill

Standard End Mill

Common Taper Mill Applications

Tapered End Mills are used in any machining process that requires an angled surface. These tools are engineered for light profiling and finishing applications in mold and die pockets and other tapered wall applications.

Mold & Die Applications

Mold and die applications are a mass production manufacturing method that consists of shaping different types of metals and other materials. Molds are used to shape metals, allowing them to become solid in the mold, while dies use a mechanical force to cut the material into the desired shape.

A couple examples of mold and die applications are plastic bottles, car body parts, electronic components, cutlery, coins, and metal stamping parts.

Mold Tool & Die Example

Tapered End Mills Profiles

Taper mills are great for profiling with the ball nose version, and for light finishing and creating required draft angles with the square version. Which style is right for you?

Ball Nose Taper Mills

Ball Nose Tapered End Mills are great for profiling because the full radius at the bottom eliminates sharp edges, which leads to a smoother process.

Square Profile Tooling

The square version of the tapered end mill has a higher flute count and helix angle with a sharp cutting edge. This is better for light finishes on the walls of tools.

The draft angle determined in the design process is the amount of mold design can be tapered. A draft angle is a strategic angle or slope designed in the mold. The tapered angle in the tool allows for the draft angle to be formed easier compared to a straight shanked end mill. Having a draft angle in the mold allows for easier removal of the part so it does not get stuck to the mold.

Helical Solutions’ Tapered End Mills

Helical Solutions’ offering of Tapered End Mills feature a tapered profile design, variable pitch geometry for reduced harmonics and increased feed rates, and Aplus coating for increased performance in Cast Iron, Steel, and even Stainless Steel. These tools are offered in a 4 Flute Ball style, and a 5 Flute Square style, so you can select the end profile that best suits your specific toolpath.

Helical’s Tapered End Mills

4 Flute Ball (HTPR-4)

Helical’s 4 Flute Ball Tapered End Mills (HTPR-4) are fully stocked in 6 different angles per side (0.5°, 1°, 1.5°, 2°, 3°, 5°), and in 3 different cutter diameters (1/8”, 3/16”, ¼”). These tools feature a ball nose profile, allowing them to excel in a variety of different applications from 3D contouring and profiling to slotting. A Ball Nose End Mill has a full form radius, allowing machinists to utilize the entire radius when contouring and finishing a 3D surface.

5 Flute Square (HPTR-5)

Helical’s 5 Flute Square Tapered End Mills (HTPR-5) is also is also fully stocked 6 different angles per side (0.5°, 1°, 1.5°, 2°, 3°, 5°), and in 3 different cutter diameters (1/8”, 3/16”, ¼”). These tools feature a square profile for more precise finishing and the 5 flute design creates a larger core, allowing for better tool strength in roughing applications.

Taper Mill Tooling Wrapped-up

By understanding the unique features and advantages of this tooling, machinists can make informed decisions and achieve superior results in their projects. These feature unique geometry that enhances machining capabilities and ensures reliability and accuracy across a range of tapered wall applications.

Mastering Precision: Pilot Drills in CNC Machining

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When it comes to achieving precision in CNC drilling applications, the choice of tools and techniques can make a significant difference in the outcome. One essential element that often doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves is the Pilot Drill. This blog post will explore the importance of pilot drills, their applications, and best practices for integrating them into your CNC machining processes.

What is a Pilot Drill?

A pilot drill is used to create a guide hole in deep drilling applications where precision is required. This guide hole keeps the drill on center, maintaining straightness throughout the cut. By creating a pilot hole, machinists can also improve the quality of the finished product and extend the life of their tools.

The Importance of Pilot Drills in CNC Machining

1. Enhanced Accuracy

The primary advantage of using a pilot drill is the enhanced accuracy it provides. When working with harder materials or complex geometries, a small pilot hole helps maintain the alignment of the longer drill, reducing the risk of misalignment and defects.

2. Extended Tool Life

Using a pilot drill can significantly extend the life of your deep-hole drilling tools. By first creating a pilot hole, the chasing drill experiences less stress, reducing wear and tear, and the chance of breakage, ultimately leading to cost savings from longer tool life.

3. Improved Chip Removal

Pilot drilling can enhance chip removal, particularly in deep-hole drilling scenarios. The smaller pilot hole allows for better coolant flow, which is crucial for effective chip evacuation and maintaining optimal cutting temperatures.

Applications of Pilot Drills

Pilot drills are versatile and can be used in various applications, including:

  1. Deep-hole Drilling: Pilot holes create a guide when drilling deep holes for improved centering and straightness.
  2. Tapping Operations: A pilot hole can facilitate easier and more accurate tapping.
  3. Reaming: When preparing for reaming operations, a pilot drill can ensure the hole is properly aligned and sized.
  4. Screw and Bolt Holes: Pilot holes are essential for ensuring screws and bolts are inserted correctly and securely.

Best Practices for Using Pilot Drills

1. Application      

Piloting is recommended for tighter tolerance holes when drilling at depths of 8xD or greater. Valor Holemaking provides a custom tolerance of +0.0002/+0.0005 (+0.005mm/+0.013mm) to create the perfect oversized guide hole for their traditional drill lines capable of drilling 8xD or greater. Valor Holemaking’s Pilot Drills also include a +2/+1 deg angle tolerance to ensure a larger angle than the chasing drill. Piloting depth is recommended as 3xD for all applications drilling 8xD or greater.

2. Choose the Right Size and Point Angle

Selecting the appropriate size for your pilot drill is crucial. As a rule of thumb, the diameter of the pilot hole should be slightly larger than the diameter of the final hole. This allows for optimal support for the chasing drill while preventing excessive material removal. The pilot drill’s point angle should be equal to or larger than the succeeding drill. This allows the tip of the succeeding drill to engage the material before the flank does (see figure below).

3. Optimize Feed Rates

When using a pilot drill, ensure that the feed rates are optimized for both the pilot and the larger drill. Adjusting the feed rate can improve performance and reduce the risk of tool breakage. Valor Holemaking’s downloadable speeds and feeds tables and Machining Adviser Pro are excellent resources, and you can always consult Valor Holemaking’s Tech Team for further assistance!

4. Use Proper Coolants

Effective cooling and lubrication are vital in metal machining. Ensure that your pilot drill is adequately cooled with flood coolant or adjust speeds and feeds to maintain tool integrity and enhance cutting performance.

5. Maintain Tool Condition

Regularly check the condition of your pilot drills. Worn or damaged pilot drills can lead to inaccuracies and affect the performance of subsequent operations.

6. Integrate with CNC Programming

Incorporate pilot drilling into your CNC programs to ensure that it’s executed at the right stage of your machining process. Program one revolution or brief dwell at the bottom of the pilot hole to ensure a clean surface. This will help streamline operations and improve overall efficiency.

 

Conclusion

Pilot drills may seem like a small detail in the larger scope of CNC machining, but their impact on precision, tool life, and overall efficiency is significant. By understanding their importance and implementing best practices, machinists can enhance their processes and achieve superior results. Whether you’re a seasoned CNC operator or just starting out, incorporating pilot drills into your workflow is a smart move that can lead to greater accuracy and success in metal machining.


Mastering CNC Drilling: Geometries and Key Factors

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Selecting the proper drill for a specific application is essential to ensuring a successful cnc drilling job. Achieving a perfectly machined hole can often be challenging. There are many machining woes that can occur when drilling into a material. These can greatly affect hole quality, and regardless of the material being machined, there is often zero margin for error to ensure all components meet specifications.

To ensure you are selecting and using the correct drill, you need not only a deep understanding of drill geometries, but also the factors that influence the performance of the drill and quality of the hole. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into drill geometries, while also exploring the performance factors that determine CNC drilling results. Furthermore, we’ll connect these to the strategic decisions that drive the tool selection process, so you can gain a competitive edge at the spindle.

Performance Factors Influencing CNC Drilling Success

Part Material

Different materials require different drill geometries and cutting speeds to maintain hole quality and prevent excessive wear. With different types of materials, whether it be a softer non-ferrous material like aluminum or a harder ferrous material like stainless steels, you’ll face different challenges as you manufacture your part. To ensure that you’re getting the best performance and tool life possible features and geometries must be considered.

metal blocks that have many holes from cnc drilling operations

CNC Drill Geometries

It is important to understand the different geometries of a drill to understand how they affect an application. For an in depth dive into drill geometries, read 10 CNC Drill Geometries Every Machinist Must Know. This breaks down the unique aspects of geometries and how they affect the cnc drilling process.

Drill Geometries and Drill Walking

CNC drill walking occurs when a drill lacks sufficient engagement with the material. This causes it to deviate from its intended tool path, leading to inaccuracies in hole placement and dimensions. This occurs due to various factors, often including improper drill geometry choice. Understanding how different drill geometries influence drill walking is crucial to ensure you’re achieving precision and consistency in every hole.

Point Angles

The point angle dictates cutting forces and chip evacuation. Choosing the right angle, such as 118° or 135°, based on material hardness, ensures efficient drilling and prevents walking. The shallower the point angle, the better the distribution of cutting forces on the material. Higher angles walk less, as the point grabs into the material easier. Machinists must weight these options when choosing the proper drill.

Web Thickness

Web thickness is the distance between cutting edges or flutes at the face of the drill. This is where stability is generated in a tool. Webs that are too thin can increase the likelihood of breakages, while webs that are too thick will generate unnecessary cutting forces. Finding the proper blend of stability and cutting force is a common struggle for machinists.

CNC Drill Length Considerations

Flute and overall length impact stability and chip evacuation. Matching these lengths to drilling depth prevents deflection and enhances hole quality.

While it may be easiest to purchase a long drill that will work in a variety of scenarios, it is not the best choice to ensure precision. Machinists should best match their required depth to the effective depth of a drill. This ensures that the tool will be as rigid as possible, generating the straightest holes.

As tool length increases, rigidity decreases. Therefore, a properly matched drill will be as rigid as the situation allows. This affords the machinist with the best possible outcome for their unique drilling application.

Coolant-Through Drilling

Proper cooling and lubrication extends tool life and ensures excellent hole quality. If your machine is equipped with the option to run through spindle coolant tooling, it can be extremely beneficial to your application. Unlike an end mill, where chips often have the ability to evacuate outward from the tool, the chips in a drilling operating are held captive inside the feature as it’s being drilled. Here, chips are only able to evacuate through the drill fluting

Through spindle coolant not only cools and lubricates a drill at the point of material removal, but also forcibly evacuates the chips. This can increase your tool’s life while reducing or removing the need for peck cycles all together. This means faster cycle times and higher production rates for your product.

On the other hand, coolant can be fed externally, and sprayed onto the tooling. This will aid in cooling and lubricity. The downside is it is less efficient than utilizing a coolant-through drill. In deep hole drilling applications, external coolant is often ineffective for chip evacuation efforts, and is not the ideal choice for the best results.

Speeds & Feeds

Optimizing speeds & feeds is essential for efficient and accurate drilling. There is not a “one size fits all approach” for speeds & feeds, as all tools and materials require a slightly different approach.

Finding the right balance for each material prevents tool wear and ensures effective chip evacuation. Valor Holemaking offers comprehensive starting parameters in the form of Speeds & Feeds Charts and each tool is also supported by Machining Advisor Pro. This tool allows machinist to custom generate speeds & feeds based off the exact tool path, material, and machine setup.

Rigidity and Stability

A sturdy machining setup reduces vibrations during drilling, improving hole quality. The same can be said about the drill within. A rigid tool is a stable tool, especially as the depth requirements increase. Stability is especially important for drilling heavy-duty materials. This can be impacted by several factors, most importantly the quality of the tool and its design, as well as its chip management capabilities. High precision and high-performance solid carbide drills are designed for the utmost rigidity to ensure repeatability time after time and part after part.

Software and Programming

CNC programming software simplifies creating and editing drilling programs. Compatibility with common CAD/CAM software streamlines integration. Much like machine quality, proper programming is an important step in ensuring precision in CNC drilling applications. CAD/CAM integration ensures the correct dimensions are input to the software to best ensure the tool correctly fits the required parameters.

Exploring CNC Drilling Geometries & Key Factors: Wrapped Up

There are many different drill geometries and factors that can directly impact a drill’s performance and hole quality. Understanding these features can greatly assist in your tool selection process, allowing you to improve productivity and hole quality, so you can gain a competitive edge at the spindle. Drilling is often the most precise aspect of machining, so mastering geometries is critical to success.

HSS vs Cobalt vs Carbide: Choosing a Tool Substrate

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Do you know which cutting tool substrate is right for you? Popular cutting tool manufacturers, such as Titan USA, oftentimes sell high speed steel, cobalt, and solid carbide cutting tools – but which is right for your application? This article will serve as a guide to the benefits of each material, and the best choice for specific applications.

At the same time, do you understand the differences of high speed steel vs cobalt vs carbide? Follow along for the key differences of the three substrates.

High Speed Steel Tooling

Titan USA High speed steel reamer with callouts

When it comes to high speed steel tooling, this will be the most economical choice among the three substrate options. The above image shows a Titan USA High Speed Steel Reamer.

High speed steel is known for its high working hardness and excellent toughness. While maintaining a rigid set up should always be a priority, high speed steel tooling can excel in situations where a rigid set-up can’t be obtained, and where there is potential for excessive tool holder overhang. The toughness of high speed steel over cobalt and solid carbide makes it less prone to brittle fracture or chipping. These tools can be used in a variety of ferrous materials, such as steel and iron, and non-ferrous materials such as brass, copper, and aluminum alloys.  However, high speed steel should not be used in hardened versions of these materials.

This substrate is not without its drawbacks, too, though. High speed steel tooling will need to be run at slower cutting speeds than cobalt or solid carbide tooling, which could potentially make it less ideal for high production runs.

Cobalt Tooling

Titan usa cobalt reamer with dimension callouts



For most situations, cobalt is going to offer an intermediate option when compared to high speed steel and solid carbide options. The image above shows a Titan USA Cobalt Reamer.

Cobalt can be run even faster than high speed steel tooling. It can also be used in most hardened and abrasive materials such as bronze, stainless steel, cast iron, and titanium.

However, a cobalt bit will not retain its edge sharpness for as long as a solid carbide bit, and it will be more prone to brittle failure than high speed steel tooling in non-rigid set ups.

If you have a desire to run at faster running parameters than what high speed steel tooling offers, or if you are running in a hardened material, cobalt may be your next consideration. While it will typically have a higher cost than high speed steel tooling, it would be a more economical option than solid carbide.   



Solid Carbide Tooling

Titan USA Carbide reamer with dimension callouts

Solid carbide will be the premier material substrate offered for most cutting tool selections, as it offers high edge sharpness that allows tooling to be run at the fastest running parameters offered among the three material substrates. The above image shows a Titan USA Solid Carbide Reamer.

Although solid carbide tends to be the most expensive substrate option, the ability to run at high speeds and feeds allows you to reduce your cutting time. This increased productivity can prove to be more economical for higher production jobs. Solid carbide tooling is going to have the highest heat and wear resistance, allowing the tooling to last longer and require less replacement.

Further, solid carbide is a good choice when dealing with hardened materials or high temp alloys. For example, it can be used in hardened steels, titanium alloys, and nickel alloys up to 45RC. When paired with material specific tool geometries and coatings, solid carbide can even be used in materials up to 68Rc.

One downside to solid carbide tooling is that its high hardness can make it more susceptible to brittle failure and therefore may not be a good choice when dealing with non-rigid set ups. For example, solid carbide can be more prone to chipping or breaking when encountering interrupted cuts, vibrations, or shocks.

Substrate Options

Substrate Options

When browsing the different material options offered by Titan USA, this article can act as a helpful guide for choosing the right tool for your application.  For more information on the different tooling styles offered in high speed steel, solid carbide, and cobalt, please visit the Titan USA website at https://www.titancuttingtools.com/ .

Sources:

  1. Chitnis, Rohit. “HSS vs Cobalt vs Carbide Drill Bits: What to Choose.” Benchmark Abrasives, Benchmark Abrasives, 29 June 2022, benchmarkabrasives.com/blogs/news/hss-vs-cobalt-vs-carbide-drill-bits-what-to-choose.
  2. “A Comprehensive Guide to Pros and Cons of Carbide Tools and HSS.” TJ Grinding, 8 May 2018, tjgrinding.com/blog-post/comprehensive-guide-pros-and-cons-carbide-tools-and-hss.
  3. “High-Speed Steel vs Carbide Tools: AIMS Industrial.” AIMS Industrial Supplies, www.aimsindustrial.com.au/blog/hss-vs-carbide. Accessed 17 June 2024.
  4. Startoolinc. “The Difference between High speed steel & Carbide End Mills.” Tool Talk, 11 Feb. 2020, tooltalk.blog/the-difference-between-high-speed-steel-carbide-end-mills/#:~:text=Compared%20to%20HSS%2C%20carbide%20tools,to%20face%20milling%20and%20beyond.