The development of the tool industry and its requirements for tool materials

At present, the rapid development of cutting technology has entered a new stage of modern cutting technology. Tool materials, coating technology and tool structure have all made comprehensive progress, and the processing efficiency has been doubled. At the same time, cutting technology and Cutting Tools have become the key technologies for the development of new products and processes, the application of new materials and the establishment of innovative systems. Today, during the processing of the Boeing F/A-18E/F fighter control system mounting plate, the number of fixtures has been reduced from 53 to 6, the machining time has been reduced from 1028 hours to 43.9 hours, and the number of parts has been reduced from 44 to 6, with weight from From 10 pounds to 9 pounds, the cost is reduced by 73%; the innovation of the mold processing technology has increased the mold production efficiency by 30% to 50%, reduced the polishing workload by 60% to 100%, and shortened the mold development cycle by 40%.

The modern cutting cost model has changed the traditional concept of tool users, and also changed the business philosophy of tool manufacturers. It conforms to the inherent laws of cutting technology development, and has brought cutting technology to the path of rapid and sustainable development, and has entered the new cutting technology. stage.

The modern tool industry has also entered a new stage of development. The tool industry has entered the advanced stage of user-oriented and service-oriented from the low-level stage of separation from users and use. The production enterprise has changed from a simple tool supplier to an advanced cutting technology and tool development. Suppliers and service providers of commerce, processing efficiency and complete processing solutions, and deeply involved in the development of the manufacturing industry, become a professional social resource and partner that the manufacturing industry must rely on.

At the same time, it has formed a clear dual industry structure. One yuan is a small and comprehensive large company. They mainly use a wide range of general-purpose tool products such as turning, milling and drilling, with thousands of specifications and comprehensive varieties. Development and service capabilities, occupying more than half of the tool market, play a leading role in the development of the industry and the direction of cutting technology advancement, and promote the improvement of the overall cutting technology. The other element is a large number of specialized small and medium-sized tool companies. These companies are characterized by proficiency in the use of such professional tools, and the development of complete sets of technology around the process, becoming an expert in the process, or relying on their own proprietary Technology, innovative machining processes and tools. Their contribution to cutting technology and tool development is something that large companies cannot replace.

Tool material and coating technology have become the core technology of modern tool manufacturers. On the basis of this, through the optimization of the tool material, coating and tool structure, the speed of tool new product development is accelerated and the effect is remarkable.

In terms of tool materials, all kinds of tool materials have been comprehensively developed. Each of them has unique advantages and scope of use, and they complement each other, making the cutting process different fields, the efficiency of different processes and the overall cutting level significant. Improvement has opened up a new stage of high-speed cutting; cemented carbide has become the main tool material, and the cutting process has realized the transition to the hard alloy era. On the other hand, the application ratio of super-hard tools continues to increase, and the variety, performance improvement, toughness and reliability are improved, and new processes such as hard cutting, dry cutting, and grinding by car (milling) have been developed. The coating also plays an important role in the development of the tool material. The cutting performance of the tool is further improved by the optimized combination of the substrate and the coating.

For high-speed steel tools, the proportion is shrinking and the performance is gradually improved. In terms of milling, drilling, reaming, etc., the proportion of high-speed steel tools has been reduced to 33%, 51%, 26%, respectively; but in the aspects of tapping, gear processing, sawing, broaching, etc., the proportion is still Higher, 95%, 81%, 95%, 86%. PM high-speed steel has made good progress due to its good toughness, and its proportion in drill bits, taps, end mills, broaches and gear cutters has reached 1%, 10%, 20%, 50% and 70% respectively. And the new PM high speed steel removes 90% of the impurities and increases the strength by 20%. The PVD coating of high-speed steel cutters has also developed rapidly in recent years, and a large proportion of coated high-speed steel cutters are used in broaches, drills and taps. In addition, in recent years, a certain proportion of internally cooled high speed steel tools have appeared in tapping and drilling.

Downhole Drilling Tools

Downhole tools for oil rigs include: stabilizers, scrapers, centralizers, etc.