Machining titanium in the aerospace industry requires highly rigid cutting tools, optimised cutting geometries and solutions capable of controlling heat, vibration and cutting edge wear.

Nuova Cumet offers carbide milling cutters, drills, micro drills, reamers and custom cutting tools designed also for machining titanium alloys.

For particularly complex applications, MyCarbide enables the development of customised cutting tools by tailoring geometry, number of cutting edges, coolant delivery and coating to the material, machine and machining parameters.

When machining Inconel and other nickel-based superalloys, it is important to use cutting tools that maintain stability and cutting performance even at high temperatures and under heavy cutting edge loads.

Nuova Cumet manufactures carbide cutting tools for milling, drilling and reaming superalloys used in the aerospace industry. For the most demanding applications, dedicated geometries can be developed and specific high-temperature-resistant multilayer PVD coatings can be used to increase tool life and process stability.

CFRP, carbon fibre, Kevlar and other composites require specific cutting tools because they are abrasive materials and can present issues such as delamination, fibre fraying and edge deterioration.

Nuova Cumet and MyCarbide develop milling cutters, drills and custom cutting tools with geometries dedicated to machining composites. For certain applications, highly wear-resistant CVD diamond coatings can be used to maintain cutting edge efficiency and improve machining quality.

The aerospace industry mainly uses cutting tools for milling, drilling, micro drilling, reaming, profiling and finishing.

The Nuova Cumet range includes, among others, corner-radius and profile milling cutters, flat end mills and ball nose end mills, drills and micro drills, cylindrical and step reamers, and custom cutting tools designed for specific machining operations.

The choice depends on the workpiece material, component geometry, required tolerances, machine tool and productivity and tool life targets.

A custom cutting tool is particularly suitable when a standard tool cannot consistently deliver the precision, productivity, surface quality or tool life required by the machining operation.

In the aerospace industry, it can be useful, for example, for machining complex geometries, difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium and Inconel, composites or multi-diameter holes, or for combining several operations in a single tool.

With MyCarbide, Nuova Cumet can develop customised cutting tools by tailoring dimensions, geometry, number of cutting edges, sharpening, coolant delivery and coating.

Tool selection should start with the process, not just the material.

To identify the most suitable solution, at least the following should be considered:

• workpiece material;
• required operation;
• component geometry;
• machining diameters and depths;
• dimensional tolerances;
• required surface quality;
• machine tool and spindle;
• coolant system;
• cutting parameters;
• production quantity;
• desired tool life.

When an application has specific requirements, Nuova Cumet can develop a process-specific cutting tool through its MyCarbide division.

The coating should be selected according to the material and machining conditions.

For difficult-to-machine metals such as Inconel, titanium and stainless steels, specific multilayer PVD coatings can be used to improve resistance to wear and the high temperatures generated during cutting.

For highly abrasive composites, CVD diamond coatings can be used for their particularly high wear resistance.

Geometry, carbide and coating must nevertheless be considered as a single system.

To minimise delamination in composites, it is essential to use a drill geometry suited to the characteristics of the laminate and to control feed rate, cutting speed, cutting edge sharpness and tool wear.

When machining aerospace composites, the cutting tool must cut the fibres cleanly without generating excessive stresses on the material layers.

For particularly critical applications, Nuova Cumet can develop drills and custom cutting tools with geometries and coatings specified according to the composite material and the required machining operation.

Tool life depends on the interaction between carbide, geometry, coating, cutting parameters, coolant delivery, rigidity of the machine–tool system and component characteristics.

When machining titanium and nickel-based superalloys, it is particularly important to control heat generation and maintain cutting edge stability.

For this reason, Nuova Cumet can develop specific solutions combining dedicated geometries, carbide and wear-resistant or high-temperature-resistant coatings.

Vibration can compromise surface quality, dimensional accuracy and tool life.

To minimise it, tool rigidity, overhang, cutting edge geometry, number of teeth, machining parameters and machine characteristics must be considered.

Nuova Cumet also manufactures milling cutters with vibration-reducing geometries and can develop custom cutting tools by adapting the geometry to the specific machining conditions.

Yes. For certain applications, step drills and micro step drills can be designed to produce multiple diameters in a single operation.

A “one-shot” solution can reduce the number of tools used, tool changes and subsequent operations, while also improving process repeatability.

MyCarbide can develop step tools tailored to the hole geometry and the characteristics of the component to be produced.

Yes. Through MyCarbide, Nuova Cumet develops custom cutting tools designed around the requirements of each individual application.

Customisation can include diameters, lengths, tool profile, number and shape of cutting edges, cutting edge geometry, coolant delivery, carbide grade and coating.

The design is defined by considering the workpiece material, component geometry and production process parameters.

Nuova Cumet cutting tools can be used for numerous materials involved in aerospace machining, including titanium alloys, Inconel and other nickel-based superalloys, stainless steels, aluminium and composites.

MyCarbide also develops custom cutting tools for materials such as Kevlar and sandwich structures, adapting tool geometry and characteristics to the required application.

PVD and CVD diamond coatings address different requirements.

PVD coatings can be used to improve wear resistance and tool performance at high temperatures when machining difficult-to-machine metals such as titanium, Inconel and stainless steels.

CVD diamond coatings, on the other hand, are particularly suitable for highly abrasive materials, including many composites.

The choice must be based on the material, operation and cutting conditions.

The more information available about the process, the more precisely the cutting tool can be designed.

It is useful to provide:

• material and its specification;
• drawing of the component or machining operation;
• type of operation;
• machine tool used;
• spindle interface and characteristics;
• machining depths and diameters;
• required tolerances;
• available coolant delivery;
• current cutting parameters;
• tool already in use, if any;
• issues encountered;
• current tool life;
• production quantities and cycles.

These data make it possible to design a solution aligned with the objectives for precision, tool life, productivity and process stability.