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High Speed Steel (HSS) provides good wear resistance and costs less than cobalt or carbide end mills. HSS is used for general-purpose milling of both ferrous and nonferrous materials.
Vanadium High Speed Steel (HSSE) is made of high speed steel, carbon, vanadium carbide and other alloys designed to increase abrasive wear resistance and toughness. It is commonly used for general applications on stainless steels and high silicon aluminums.
Cobalt (M-42: 8% Cobalt): Provides better wear resistance, higher hot hardness and toughness than high speed steel (HSS). There is very little chipping or microchipping under severe cutting conditions, allowing the tool to run 10% faster than HSS, resulting in excellent metal removal rates and good finishes. It is a cost-effective material ideal for machining cast iron, steel and titanium alloys.
Powdered Metal (PM) is tougher and more cost effective than solid carbide. It is tougher and less prone to breakage. PM performs well in materials < 30RC and is used in high-shock and high-stock applications such as roughing.
Solid Carbide provides better rigidity than high-speed steel (HSS). It is extremely heat resistant and used for high speed applications on cast iron, nonferrous materials, plastics and other tough-to-machine materials. Carbide end mills provide better rigidity and can be run 2-3X faster than HSS. However, heavy feed rates are more suitable for HSS and cobalt tools.
Carbide-Tips are brazed to the cutting edge of steel tool bodies. They cut faster than high speed steel and are commonly used on ferrous and nonferrous materials including cast iron, steel and steel alloys. Carbide-tipped tools are a cost-effective option for larger diameter tools.
Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) is a shock- and wear-resistant synthetic diamond that allows for cutting at high speeds on nonferrous materials, plastics, and extremely difficult-to-machine alloys.
