Milling with Ceramics

The use of ceramic cutting tools is on the rise, that news is less dramatic than it seems, because solid ceramic end mills and inserts are usually easier to use than carbide tools. Changing to using ceramic cutting tools doesn’t need really any special process changes. Contrary to what people might think about ceramic tooling.

All the tools really needs is speed, the run out of the tool doesn’t have to be any different from a solid carbide end mill and because the tools perform effectively when used without coolant, considerations related to coolant become irrelevant.

What the tools need to function is HEAT- the heat comes from fast, dry cutting, the same heat that might be destructive to other tools like carbide. Cutting speeds with ceramic end mills can be much higher than those of solid carbide. The benefits of ceramic over carbide are the greater heat resistance of ceramic which allows cutting speeds up to 20 times higher than solid carbide cutters and inserts, with surface speeds up to 1,000m/min possible.