Cutting tools are expected to do more than simply remove material. Shops are pushing higher spindle speeds, increased feed rates, longer unattended runtimes, and more demanding workpiece materials than ever before. As these demands continue to rise, tool substrate technology alone is no longer enough. Increasingly, the performance difference between an average tool and a high-performing tool comes down to its coating.

One coating technology that has gained significant attention in recent years is Rocky Mountain Blue™ nACo®, a proprietary nanocomposite coating designed to improve tool life, heat resistance, and machining consistency across a wide range of applications.

The Challenge: Heat Is the Real Enemy
Most machining failures can ultimately be traced back to heat.  As cutting speeds increase, temperatures at the cutting edge can rise dramatically. Excessive heat accelerates wear, softens tool materials, increases built-up edge formation, and negatively impacts surface finish. Even the most advanced carbide substrate will struggle if heat cannot be effectively managed.

Traditional coatings helped address this challenge by increasing surface hardness and reducing friction. However, modern manufacturing increasingly requires coatings capable of performing under far more aggressive cutting conditions.

This is where nanocomposite coating technology enters the picture.

Understanding Nanocomposite Coatings
Unlike conventional single-layer coatings, nanocomposite coatings utilize an extremely fine microstructure engineered at the nanometer scale.

This architecture creates a unique combination of properties that are difficult to achieve through traditional coating methods:

• High hardness
• Superior oxidation resistance
• Reduced friction
• Improved thermal stability
• Enhanced wear resistance

The result is a coating capable of maintaining cutting performance under elevated temperatures and heavy machining loads.

What Makes Rocky Mountain Blue™ nACo® Different?
Rocky Mountain Blue™ nACo® is a nano-composite aluminum titanium silicon nitride (AlTiSiN) coating engineered to provide exceptional thermal protection and wear resistance.

One of its most recognizable characteristics is the distinctive blue appearance that gives the coating its name. However, the benefits extend far beyond aesthetics.

The coating is designed to create an extremely hard protective surface while simultaneously forming a thermal barrier between the cutting edge and the workpiece. This helps reduce heat transfer into the tool substrate and allows the cutting edge to maintain its integrity longer during demanding operations.

For manufacturers, that can translate into:

• Extended tool life
• Higher cutting parameters
• Improved process stability
• Reduced tooling costs
• Greater consistency in unattended machining environments

Ideal Applications for nACo® Technology
Rocky Mountain Blue™ nACo® performs particularly well in applications where heat generation becomes a limiting factor.

Common applications include:

• Hardened Steels - Machining hardened materials places tremendous thermal stress on cutting tools. The coating's heat resistance helps maintain edge integrity during prolonged cutting cycles.
• Stainless Steels - Stainless materials are notorious for generating heat and promoting work hardening. The low-friction characteristics of nACo® help improve chip evacuation while reducing edge wear.
• Titanium Alloys - Titanium's poor thermal conductivity causes heat to remain concentrated at the cutting zone. Thermal-resistant coatings become critical for maximizing tool life.
• High-Speed Milling - Aggressive milling operations benefit from coatings capable of maintaining hardness and oxidation resistance even as cutting temperatures climb.

The Impact on Tool Economics
While shops often focus on the purchase price of a cutting tool, the true cost of tooling includes much more than the initial investment.
Factors such as:

• Machine downtime
• Tool changes
• Scrap parts
• Surface finish issues
• Cycle time limitations

can quickly outweigh the price difference between tooling options.

A coating that extends tool life by even a modest percentage can generate significant cost savings over thousands of production cycles.

For this reason, coating technology has become one of the most important considerations when evaluating cutting tool performance.

Looking Beyond the Substrate
The carbide substrate remains the foundation of any cutting tool, but modern manufacturing increasingly depends on advanced surface engineering to unlock maximum performance.

Rocky Mountain Blue™ nACo® demonstrates how nanocomposite coating technology can help manufacturers push productivity while maintaining tool life and process reliability. As machining demands continue to increase, coatings like nACo® will play an increasingly important role in achieving the balance between speed, precision, and profitability that today's shops require.

Hammer drilling is straightforward work, but the results depend heavily on the bit. Starting accuracy, dust evacuation, and carbide durability all become apparent once you’re into hard aggregate. Fully cured, high-strength concrete is where differences in masonry drill design show up quickly.

Overall, Rockhard SDS hammer drill bits are built around controlled cutting, effective dust evacuation, and durability in demanding masonry. 

If you’re specifying SDS bits for regular masonry work, Browne & Co. can help match the right Rockhard SDS Plus or SDS Max configuration to the materials, hole sizes, and depths you’re drilling. Reviewing the available diameters, usable lengths, and cutter designs before you buy can save time and frustration on the job.

Reach out to Browne & Co. to discuss your application and make sure the bit you’re running is suited to the work you’re doing.

Every hole you drill depends on how well the hole starts. If the center is off, everything downstream pays for it — drill walk, uneven load, poor tool life, and inconsistent hole quality. The Nine9 i-Center Drill System was built to take that first operation seriously and remove the usual compromises that come with traditional center drills and spot drills.

This system replaces solid center drills with an indexable insert platform that handles spotting, centering, chamfering, and light deburring in one tool. It runs at real production feeds and speeds, matches the pace of modern CNC drilling, and eliminates the constant tool swaps and offset resets that slow jobs down.

How the i-Center Works
The core of the Nine9 i-Center system is a replaceable insert mounted in a rigid holder. The insert geometry establishes a true center while also creating a controlled chamfer at the hole entrance. Because the insert is indexed rather than reground, tool length stays consistent after insert changes. That means no touching off, no adjusting offsets, and no creeping variation from tool to tool.

Coolant-through holders deliver coolant directly to the cutting edge. This stabilizes the cut, improves chip evacuation, and keeps heat out of the insert — especially important when spotting stainless steels, alloy steels, or even cast iron.

Why Indexable Matters on a CNC
Traditional solid center drills wear quickly and demand conservative feeds. Once they dull, you’re either changing tools and keepign a dull edge because you "only have a few more to go". The i-Center avoids that entirely. When an edge wears, you index or replace the insert and keep running.

That consistency matters when you’re running batches, managing tool life, or trying to keep hole location tight across multiple parts. The system is designed to maintain repeatable radial and axial accuracy so the drill that follows sees the same entry conditions every time which you can see in the video example below.

One Tool, Fewer Steps
In most shops, centering means at least one dedicated tool and often a second one for chamfering. The i-Center collapses those steps into a single operation:

• Spot the hole to stabilize the drill entry
• Establish a true center point
• Apply a clean chamfer
• Break the edge without a second pass

That reduces tool changes, shortens cycle time, and simplifies programs — especially on lathes, Swiss machines, and crowded turrets.

Built for Production Materials
The Nine9 i-Center system is used across steels, stainless steels, cast iron, and aluminum. Insert geometries and sizes are available to cover a wide range of pilot diameters, making it practical for both small precision work and general production drilling.

Because the system is rigid and coolant-fed, it supports higher spindle speeds and feed rates than traditional center drills without sacrificing accuracy. The result is a clean, repeatable start that lets the drill do its job instead of fighting a bad entry.

What This Means on the Shop Floor
If you spend your day running CNC equipment, the value is straightforward. Fewer tools in the turret. No re-touching after insert changes. Faster cycles. Better hole quality. More predictable drilling results.

Contact Browne & Co with questions about the  Nine9 i-Center sizes, insert options, and holder configurations for your CNC applications.

Drilling beyond standard jobber length increases sensitivity to thrust forces, chip evacuation, and thermal stability. The Inovatools 752 and 753 coolant-through drills are designed to control those variables in production drilling of steels, stainless steels, and cast iron.

Both series use a two-flute carbide geometry with internal coolant delivery and a 140° notched point. The design intent is stable entry, controlled chip formation, and consistent hole geometry as drilling depth increases.

Chip Control and Hole Quality
Hole quality is directly influenced by how chips are formed, broken, and evacuated from the cutting zone. When chips are removed efficiently and heat is controlled at the cutting edges, the drill maintains size, straightness, and surface finish more consistently.

The combination of internal coolant delivery, notched point geometry, and controlled flute design in the 752 and 753 series addresses these mechanisms directly, resulting in stable drilling behavior across a range of ferrous materials.

Application Fit
The Inovatools 752 and 753 series are designed for CNC drilling applications requiring 3×D and 5×D depths with internal coolant. They are suited for shops machining steels, stainless steels, and cast iron where hole geometry, chip evacuation, and process stability must remain consistent over production runs.

Diameter selection, application matching, and process recommendations should be reviewed based on material, machine capability, and coolant delivery.

For assistance selecting the appropriate drill series or optimizing an existing drilling process, contact Browne Sales for application support and availability.

Besly Turboflute Drills have heavy duty parabolic profiled flutes for easy chip flow.

​Designed for automotive, aerospace, and other high volume metalworking industries, they give longer life and better drilled hole quality while allowing increased feed rates. The split point design seats itself and holds centers. 

​These heavier web drills are ideal for use in stringy, low and medium strength steels below 120,000 psi ultimate tensile strength, and for use in exotic and difficult-to-machine materials, ferrous and nonferrous.

Parabolic flute drills, also known as parabolic flute twist drills, offer several advantages compared to standard twist drills with straight flutes. These advantages make them a popular choice in various drilling applications. Here are some of the key advantages of using parabolic flute drills:

1. Improved chip evacuation: Parabolic flute drills have a curved or spiral flute design that helps facilitate better chip removal. As the drill bit advances into the material, it creates chips that move up and out of the hole more efficiently. This reduces the risk of chip clogging and ensures smoother drilling operations.
   
2. Reduced friction and heat generation: The curved flute geometry of parabolic flute drills allows for a larger volume of coolant or cutting fluid to reach the cutting edges and the workpiece, helping to dissipate heat effectively. This minimizes heat buildup and reduces the risk of workpiece overheating or material deformation during drilling.
   
3. Increased drilling speed: Parabolic flute drills are designed to cut more efficiently, thanks to their improved chip evacuation and reduced friction. This often translates to faster drilling speeds and shorter cycle times, making them ideal for applications where productivity is crucial.
   
4. Enhanced tool life: The combination of better chip evacuation, reduced heat generation, and increased drilling speed can extend the life of the drill bit. Parabolic flute drills tend to experience less wear and damage compared to standard twist drills, leading to longer tool life and cost savings.
   
5. Versatility: Parabolic flute drills can be used on a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, and composites. Their ability to handle various materials makes them versatile tools suitable for different machining applications.
   
6. Improved hole quality: Due to their efficient cutting action and reduced vibration, parabolic flute drills often produce cleaner and more precise holes. This is particularly important in applications where hole quality is critical.
   
7. Lower power consumption: Because parabolic flute drills require less force to cut through materials, they can lead to reduced power consumption in drilling machines, which can result in energy savings over time.
   

It's worth noting that the specific advantages of using parabolic flute drills may vary depending on factors such as the material being drilled, the drill bit's size and geometry, and the machining conditions. However, in many cases, these drills offer improved performance, longer tool life, and a more efficient drilling process compared to standard twist drills.

Besly Turboflute drills handle hole depths of up to 12 times their own diameter in a single pass. The unique flute design produces short chips, that pass out of the hole with no clogging or woodpeckering. These drills are designed for drilling materials such as steels below 120,000 psi ultimate tensile strength and iron castings. 

Besly Turboflute Drills have heavy duty parabolic profiled flutes for easy chip flow. Designed for automotive, aerospace, and other high volume metalworking industries, they give longer life and better drilled hole quality while allowing increased feed rates.

​The split point design seats itself and holds centers. Bright finish drills, Catl No. T-755-TF, are for use in aluminum and other nonferrous materials. 

Besly Turboflute Drills have heavy duty parabolic profiled flutes for easy chip flow. Designed for automotive, aerospace, and other high volume metalworking industries, they give longer life and better drilled hole quality while allowing increased feed rates.

​The split point design seats itself and holds centers. Surface treated drills, Catl No. T-705-TF are intended for drilling stringy, low and medium strength steels below 120,000 psi ultimate tensile strength.  Also available in sets (Catl No. T-715-TF). 

Besly Turboflute Drill sets, Catalog No. T-715-TF. have heavy duty parabolic profiled flutes for easy chip flow. Designed for automotive, aerospace, and other high volume metalworking industries, they give longer life and better drilled hole quality while allowing increased feed rates. The split point design seats itself and holds centers. 

The selection of an appropriate drill point angle for your bit should be informed by questions about your application.  Yes—a hole is a hole is a hole—but what is the purpose of the hole, what type of metal are you cutting into, and what are the specifications for the finished hole?
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In addition to the drill point angle, factors that can affect successful drilling include:

• Rigidity
• Speed
• Length of the Drill
• Coolant Flow
• Type of Drill Point

There are two main characteristics that define a drill point.  First is the included angle of the point and the second is the configuration of the point.  The point configuration is a key element in the choice of drill styles for a particular job.

The most common included angles for drills are 118° and 135°.  These angles are an artifact from the time when drilling was largely a manual process, and the drill bits were conventional conical shapes.  Over time, tool makers learned that by grinding a conical point with a flat surface (a facet) to create a linear chisel, they could reduce the thrust required and also improve the process of cutting the metal or wood and removing the chips.  If you’re drilling by hand, this is a clearly a major benefit.
​
Today, with advanced drilling machines, multi-faceted drill points are the norm.  Not only do they require 50% less thrust, but they also generate 60% less heat than a conventional drill point. And there are a number of different configurations, each of which—when combined with a particular drill point angle—is suitable for specific jobs.

The general purpose drill points found on most jobber drills are 118° angled drills. They are typically used for cutting into soft metals such as aluminum, whereas the 135° variant is best suited for hardened materials, such as stainless steel. A 135° drill is flatter than 118°, which means that more of its cutting lips engage with the material surface sooner to begin the full metal cutting action.

Check out our guide below for what angles are optimal based on the material that is being drilled:

There are a number of drill point configurations and these may be found in both 118° and 135° variants.  The different configurations are selected based on the drilling application—for example:

• Are you cutting into hard metal or soft?
• Is self-centering possible or will a guide bushing be needed? 

Conventional points with 118° point angles are used most commonly for drilling in a wide array of materials.  Other drill point configurations include:
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There’s an old proverb “A bad workman always blames his tools,” which means that success is not dependent on the tools we use, but how we use them. 

In the case of drill points, that may not be 100% true.  While you can drill a hole with almost any drill point, the one you use may not be the best for the whole job, whether you are drilling one hole, a hundred holes, or thousands! 

​By choosing the right drill point configuration and included angle, you can receive longer tool life, more precise hole geometry, cleaner breakthrough and improved job productivity.

If you have questions about the right drill point for your job, just ask us!
​

Different tool engineering, composition, and design affect the way they perform and which workpieces they will cut most effectively. Several factors determine which drill bits work best on various steels and alloys, copper, zinc, aluminum, tin, etc., owing to the properties of ferrous vs. nonferrous metals.

Ferrous Metals

Ferrous metals, of course, are those that contain iron. These include stainless, carbon, and alloy steel, and cast and wrought iron. Ferrous metals generally possess more tensile strength than their non-iron-based counterparts. That makes them ideal for use in building materials, structural and ornamental designs, and heavy industrial products such as shipping containers, tools, and appliances. Tool manufacturers must consider hardness and strength when designing and engineering drills made for cutting ferrous metals.

Non-ferrous Metals

Non-ferrous metals - especially copper, lead, zinc, and tin also occupy important niches in the construction and manufacturing industries. Because they contain no iron, these metals are valued for their use in applications where they come into contact with moisture that would rust ferrous metals. They also are malleable, ductile, and easily manipulated into various shapes for components, housings, etc.  They are non-magnetic, making them quite useful in electronic components.
 
Hardness is the primary consideration when choosing a drill to cut metal.

​Drills incorporate various design elements in order to cope with these different challenges

Drill bit points can be altered to provide more precise hole-starting, centering, and quality, as well as conduciveness to varying feeds and speeds. The standard 118-degree point is used because it offers a “good enough” fit for most applications.

​Standard points can be used for most “softer” steels and non-ferrous metals. Standard 135-degree split-point drills can cut these materials, as well as harder steel alloys. In these harder materials, the split-point offers the advantage of working at lower feed pressure and centering of the hole with minimal walking. Learn more about how to find the right drill point angle for your application

As we might expect, the harder the material being drilled, the harder the tool must be to get the job done. Carbon steels are too soft for cutting metal; only high-speed steel (HSS), carbide-tipped, and solid carbide bits should be used in cutting metal, no matter how soft. HSS is common because of its low cost and ability to drill softer carbon steels as well as zinc, copper, aluminum, and other non-ferrous metals.

Alloying HSS with 5 to 8% cobalt adds  “red” hardness which allows the tool to maintain the sharp cutting edge longer and allows for slightly faster speeds, making these drills suitable for working in heat-treated steel, cast iron, and even some titanium alloys.

For exponential increases in speed and wear resistance, nothing beats using a carbide tool. It withstands extremely high temperatures, resists wear, and maintains rigidity better that HSS. It costs much more, but is the only long term, high volume option when the work piece is stainless steel or alloyed steel. Carbide-tipped HSS saves some costs and is a viable option for nonferrous metals such as copper, bronze, and other materials that are highly abrasive.
 
Drills made of cobalt-alloy High Speed Steel (HSS-E) or even drill bits with a thin film coating are needed for stainless steel. These are more expensive than normal HSS drill bits, but they enable drilling in special steel without a high level of drill bit wear.

Thin film coated drill bits are high-speed steel drill bits (HSS) that have any of a variety of coating blends typically with a titanium base. TiN (Titanium Nitride), TiALN (Titanium Aluminum Nitride) and TiCN (Titanium Carbonitride) are examples of thin film coaing typically used on drill bits. They are very hard, and corrosion-resistant and reduce the co-efficient of friction allowing for better lubrication of the tool. They last much longer than regular HSS drill bits, and they are good for cutting through any metal, including metal sheeting.

Thin film coated drill bits have a surface that is harder than cobalt. However, because they are coated, they lose the coating protection at the cutting edge when they are re-sharpened and subsequent tool life will be reduced. Uncoated drill bits are made of cobalt or HSS steel, and they can be sharpened without any loss in ​performance or tool life.

Understanding the characteristics of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, and what twist drill is ideal for each material is key to high quality production and extending tool life. If you are still unsure of exactly which drill is right for your job, contact a Browne & Co. Sales Rep and we would be happy to assist you.

Fullerton Tool Company now supplies, stocks, and supports InovaTools' products!

Their strategic partnership with InovaTools allows Fullterton to expand thier product offering by selling, stocking, and supporting Inovatools' coolant fed, deep hole drills, micro drills, modular tools, diamond coated end mills, and die & mold end mills.

Fullerton is Now Offering InovaTools:

• Coolant Fed Drills
• Deep Hole Drills
• Micro Drills
• Modular Tools
• Diamond Coated End Mills
• Die and Mold End Mills

Download our InovaTools Catalog for a full offering of available products sold by Fullerton or download the Tooling Portfolio for an overview of available InovaTools products

Fullerton Tool's 1565 AlumaDrill is a master of enhanced chip evacuation in high speed drilling in titanium, graphite, brass & copper, high si aluminum, low si aluminum, composites, plastics, and wood. Its unique radial grinds allow self-centering and increases aggressiveness in softer materials.
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1565 AlumaDrill Features:

• Enhanced chip evacuation in high speed drilling applications
• Unique radial grinds allow for self-centering and increases aggressiveness in softer materials
• 3 flute design
• 30 degree helix
• 130 degree high performance point
• Standard tools are uncoated; coatings are available upon request

​Start your search for an AlumaDrill with the button below:

This single tool allows manufacturers to drill, chamfer, and then back chamfer; resulting in less time setting up tooling, less tooling needed, and an overall reduction in their total cost per piece. 

Check out some starts below on how this custom tool helped one of our customers reduce cycle time and save money.

Drill, Chamfer, Back Chamfer Stats:

• Fullerton -  Needed Tools Annually: 94
• Competitor D - Needed Tools Annually: 361
• Saved Annual Tool Changes: 1,068
• Annual Savings for Tool Changes: $10,673
• Annual Savings in Tooling: $114,729

Watch Drill, Chamfer, Back Chamfer In Action in the below video.

Start generating cost savings by contacting the Browne & Co. Fullerton sales team!