Dangers of using the wrong cutting tools

Using the wrong type of cutter will not only ruin your job, but it can also cause serious harm. 

Tool breakage

The cutter in SmartBench, depending on the set spindle speed, is probably rotating between 12,000 - 25,000 RPM. 

If the cutter breaks, the broken pieces of metal will be ejected from the cutting area, at very high speed. 

These cutter shards could impact an operator, causing potentially serious injury. 

At best, this will cause damage to the workpiece, and potentially damage to the spindle. 

Example

Here is an example of a drill bit used on SmartBench. By design, a drill bit is not intended to be used in speed machining (it is used at comparably low RPMs); at high RPMs the drill bit may start to deflect as shown in the image. Once the deflection has started, it will not take long for the drill bit to break.

Overheating

If the wrong cutter is used in the wrong environmental conditions, it can lead to overheating to such a high extent that there is a fire risk. Click here to learn more about this.

A: Cutter in original good condition.

B: Cutter has been exposed to high temperatures and overheated.

Risk prevention: understand your cutters

It is important to choose the right tool and settings for the job. Click here to learn more about cutters.