What Are Brazed Turning Tools and How to Choose Them

The brazed turning tools are tools designed for precision mechanical work. And they are indispensable in workshops where raw materials are worked with that ancient tool known as a lathe. A lathe (or turning machine) that is based on a fundamental principle: there is a workpiece that rotates and a fixed tool that shapes, removes material, and gives form to what you want.

As mentioned, the lathe is a tool that has been part of human history for centuries. And it has exploited basic mechanical techniques, as happens today with the potter's wheel: a pedal activates a rotating base with raw clay that is shaped by hand.

Of course, for industrial work it proceeds differently but the basis is the same for mechanical lathes. Those that serve to work with hard metal. The rotational cutting motion of the block to be worked and the feeding or advance motion of the machine allow the final result. Provided that the best brazed turning tools are used. How to choose?

What Are Brazed Turning Tools?

The definition is simple: precision cutting tools used in mechanical work to give a particular shape to a block mounted on a lathe. For example, if we need to create a groove or a chamfer on a steel piece we use the lathe and the appropriate insert. Which can have a different shape based on the needs of the operation planned by the workshop.

Characteristics of Brazed Turning Tools

Before we understand how to choose the best inserts for good turning, we need to understand what is the basic characteristic of the tools in question. Specifically, why do we talk about brazed tools? These tools stand out because of the construction process: the cutting part, which is made of very hard material, is brazed onto a support body, usually steel.

The joining operation guarantees maximum quality of the tool. In fact, the cutting plate is fixed to the steel body – which absorbs vibrations appropriately – through a metal alloy that, once heated, creates a very resistant connection.

This solution guarantees high-quality work: the use of cutting inserts made of hard material (usually tungsten carbide, here above some Krino examples) allows working on steel, cast iron, and other similar metals. But wear and high temperatures can undermine the efficiency of these inserts. Alternatively, today you can also use holders with replaceable insert so you only replace the worn part and are no longer able to achieve extremely precise machining.

What Are the Parameters for Choosing Inserts?

The choice of tools for turning is a delicate operation because the quality of the final result depends on this activity. Starting from the premise that much depends on the type of operation you want to perform with the lathe, there are a series of parameters to consider when choosing a quality brazed tool for your turning.

Usage

First of all, you need to choose an insert based on what you need to do. For example, you can choose a holder for internal or external turning or for a specific operation such as roughing, finishing, cutting, engraving, boring or reaming. The type of operation to be performed also determines the choice of shape and structure.

Material

When working with very hard materials you need a brazed insert made of specific materials. Such as tungsten carbide, ceramics or CBN (cubic boron nitride). One of the most practical and common solutions is the hardmetal insert, which can also be mainly of two types: TiN (titanium nitride, reduces wear and improves gliding) and TiAlN (titanium and aluminum nitride).

Angle

These are definitely technical aspects, but they allow you to get exactly what you're looking for. When you buy brazed turning tools you need to evaluate the rake angle which can be positive to reduce cutting forces on soft materials, negative for work on hard materials. What should you know about the cutting angle? It should be chosen based on material hardness.

For the nose radius, choose small for precise finishing and large for roughing. For chip management, choose turning tools with good geometry the goal is to avoid accumulations that can compromise the quality of the work.