Active brazed ceramic cemented carbide compound drills for machining lamellar graphite cast iron

The optimum and efficient way of machining is linked to the choice of the most appropriate cutting tool and cutting tool material. High performance cutting ceramics are characterized by excellent hardness properties at elevated temperatures. For this reason, cutting ceramics meet the requirements for machining with high cutting speeds to increase process productivity. Whereas cutting ceramics are widely used in turning and milling operations, their use in drilling processes, using ceramic insert tipped tools, is limited to larger diameter applications due to design restrictions. Beyond small diameters, solid ceramic tools were of negligible interest for industrial applications owing to their excessive tool manufacturing costs. This paper presents a new tool concept which addresses this challenge and permits a more productive machining process for drilling small diameter holes using ceramics as the cutting material. An active brazed compound drill combines the advantageous properties of ceramics and cemented carbide as the cutting tool material and basic holder material, respectively. The investigations presented here describe the manufacturing chain as well as the application of a compound drill, and compares it to a widely used industrial reference tool.