When it comes to hard working tools like end mills and drill bits, there are a lot of different options available on the market. If you are looking for the best options when purchasing tools for your shop, then carbide cutting tools are the clearly superior choice. If you have been wondering about the functionality of carbide tools vs steel tools, today we will be looking at both of these materials and their differences.

What is Carbide?
While carbide tools may look similar to metal to the layman, the two materials are actually quite different. The actual carbide within a carbide tool is a ceramic material made up of tungsten and carbon. In its natural state carbide is a grey powder, not suited for cutting applications. In order to make a material for tool construction, this powder is mixed with a binding metal that acts like cement in concrete, while the carbide itself is like the aggregate material. The resulting material has advantages of both ceramics and metals.

What About High Speed Steel?
One of the most popular materials used in the construction of milling cutters is HSS or high speed steel. This is a term used to describe a class of steel alloys that are designed to operate at high temperatures. All steels have to be tempered, a process of heat cycling that locks the metal into its strongest internal structure. If a tempered steel cutting tool becomes too hot, its internal structure will change, softening the cutting edges and reducing the tool life. HSS tools can withstand higher temperatures than conventional steel tools, but they still have limits.

Working Hard and Fast
In many milling applications, speed is the name of the game. Carbide cutting tools are built to handle heat better than steel tools. This is because their cutting strength comes from their ceramic content. Ceramic does not have to deal with tempering, which means that high heat will not soften the tool’s cutting edges in the same way. Instead, the ceramic will remain strong even under the extreme temperatures that come with high speed machining. This means that you can run your tools faster and speed up production runs when you make the switch to solid carbide tools.

If you are interested in finding some high performance carbide cutting tools for your shop, then you need to visit Online Carbide. At www.onlinecarbide.com, you will find a wide range of cutters including end mills and drill bits. All of their cutting tools are precision ground from high quality solid carbide and many are available in a semi finished option or with coatings to provide extra wear resistance. In addition to making great tools, they also offer them at manufacturer direct prices, helping their customers save big on the tools they need. If you have any questions about any of the tools they carry, feel free to reach out to a member of their team by sending an email to [email protected].