The most common reason why machine shops switch from one tool to a different tool is to improve tool life.

If the new tool performs longer in the existing process, then it can save money for the shop—money for the cost of replacement tools and money for the labor involved in performing so many tool replacements.

More aggressive machine shops also adopt new cutting tools in order to increase their speed. If the new tool can perform well in an accelerated process that involves significantly higher metal removal rates, then the tool saves the shop money in an even more significant way. That is, the tool can effectively increase the shop’s capacity by allowing it to run more parts per shift.

Both of these process improvements—life and speed—represent important returns on investment, and important reasons to adopt high-performance tooling.

However, the search for ways that the cutting tool can improve the process should not stop here, because there is potentially so much more savings to be realized. Shops committed to improving their machining capabilities need to look to the various ways that advanced tooling can not only extend or accelerate the machining process, but also transform it.