masking the flutes from coating and polishing the carbide sur- face in the flutes, chip flow is enhanced. Here also geometry plays an important role—not only the drill point geometry, but also the flute geometry has a major influence on drill perfor- mance, for example with our Xtreme DM drill.”
mately ten times more difficult to machine than stainless steels. Due to their superior heat resistance, toughness, and ductile characteristics, they are commonly used in turbine blades of jet engines and other aircraft-related components where a high
Top Cut carbide end mills feature a newly developed variant of the high heat-resistant TiAlN coating, internal coolant, and variable helix flute technology.
For drilling applications, Guhring Inc. (Brookfield, WI) has developed a new high-penetration rate drill for nickel al- loys. The RT100HF features a new point geometry that helps dissipate heat, a common enough problem when ma- chining nickel alloys. The drill features a double margin flute design for stability in the cut and an improved surface fin- ish. The RT100HF incorporates a new ultra-hard surface coating called the nano-Si. This silicon-based PVD coating is said to be 57% harder than traditional TiAlN-based coatings with the same heat-resistant properties.
Nickel-based heat-resistant alloys are noted for their extremely poor machin- ability. According to OSG TP & Die Inc. (Glendale Hts., IL), they are approxi-