Cut-off and grooving tools are divided into two types: cut-off and grooving tools. The cut-off tool has a longer blade and a narrow blade. The purpose of this design is to reduce the material consumption of the workpiece and ensure that the center can be cut when cutting.How to choose a suitable cut-off and grooving tool can be considered from the following aspects.

1. Identify the groove type

There are three important groove types for cut-off and grooving tools, which are external grooves, internal grooves and end grooves. External grooves are the easiest to process because gravity and coolant can help chip removal. In addition, external groove processing is visible to the operator, and the processing quality can be checked directly and relatively easily. But some potential obstacles in workpiece design or clamping must also be avoided. Generally speaking, the cutting effect is best when the tip of the grooving tool is kept slightly below the center line.

Internal hole grooving is similar to external diameter grooving, except that the application of coolant and chip removal are more challenging. For internal hole grooving, the best performance is achieved when the tip is slightly above the center line. To process the end face groove, the tool must be able to move in the axial direction, and the radius of the back face of the tool must match the radius of the machined surface. The machining effect is best when the tip of the end face grooving tool is slightly higher than the center line.

2. Machine tool design and technical conditions

In grooving processing, the design type and technical conditions of the machine tool are also basic elements that need to be considered.

Some of the main performance requirements for the machine tool include: sufficient power to ensure that the tool runs within the correct speed range without stalling or shaking; sufficient rigidity to complete the required cutting process without chattering; sufficient coolant pressure and flow to help chip removal; sufficient coolant pressure and flow to help chip removal; sufficient precision. In addition, it is also crucial to properly debug and calibrate the machine tool in order to process the correct groove shape and size.

3. Understand the characteristics of the workpiece material

Being familiar with some characteristics of the workpiece material (such as tensile strength, work hardening characteristics and toughness) is crucial to understanding how the workpiece affects the tool.

When processing different workpiece materials, it is necessary to use cutting speed and shape meters to control chips, or use special freezer meters to extend tool life.

In summary, the correct selection and use of cutting tools will determine the cost-effectiveness of the processing. Grooving tools can produce workpiece geometry in two ways: one is to produce the entire groove shape through a single cut; the other is to rough the final size of the groove in steps through multiple cuts. After selecting the tool geometry, you can consider using tool coatings that can improve chip evacuation performance.