If you deal with exotic alloys like Inconel, titanium, Hastelloy, etc., this article is written especially for you. Wise operators always select the correct tool for the job, avoiding the problems others face when they try to apply a general-purpose tool to a unique situation. In this article, we give you the information you need to select the proper tools for machining exotics. It will make your shop stand out from the competition since you will produce better results at a reduced cost.

The Hard Stuff
Exotic alloys are specifically designed for high-temperature applications (think aerospace), performance in corrosive environments (think underground), or to have the highest available strength to weight ratios (think earth-moving applications). The machinability of these materials is NOT the first consideration. As much as it would be nice from the machinist’s viewpoint to have an aluminum firewall in a helicopter, as the pilot or passenger you want a material that is strong and heat retardant.
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The Answer
One day a new job order comes in and you are faced with threading these kinds of alloys. What’s an operator to do? Fortunately for you, North American Tool manufactures application-specific thread mills right here in the USA.

These tools are made from solid carbide and have been specially designed with exotic materials in mind. The results are longer more consistent tool life and the elimination of scrap due to tap failures in your parts.

Uniquely Crafted
North American Tool thread mills for exotic alloys are designed with only three teeth. This places less stress on the tool than a conventional thread mill with six, eight, or ten teeth engaged in the workpiece at the same time. Carbide thread mills nickel-based alloys are also made with left-hand helix and left hand-cut, which permit an operator to run from the top of the hole to the bottom and climb mill the threads.

​This will create a right-hand thread on the part. The threads are milled, rather than cut, typically producing a better quality thread in the part.

The thread mills are coated with AlCrN to give them greater heat and wear resistance in the high heat, higher abrasive applications that typically confront an operator when machining exotic alloys.

Exotic Material Experts
As well as thread mills, we are the industry leader in designing and manufacturing special taps for exotic materials as well. Thread mills are a good alternative tool to the special taps we design every day provided of course, you have a 3-axis CNC capable of the interpolation tool path needed for thread mills.


If you are working with exotic materials and need a thread mill or special tap, please contact us for a quote. We’d be happy to help.

In January of this year we welcomed a new member to our Browne & Co. sales team and with manufacturing companies opening up again, it's about time we introduce you to Jeff Terrace!

Just before joining Browne & Co in January 2019, Jeff worked at Hoffmann Group, a German cutting tool, hand tool, workstation and storage solutions manufacturer.

Jeff has been working as an InovaTool representative since February of 2019 and recently joined Browne & Company at the beginning of 2020 as our Cutting Tool Specialist. Please send Jeff and email or give him a call to introduce yourself or pick his brain about an application question.

The Dümmel Minimill-System with three or six cutting edges is the next big thing for ultra groove milling and threading machining from 0mm to a 32mm bore diameter.

The indexable carbide heads are screwed on with three ribs coupling. This guarantees the best possible rotation and repeatable accuracy. A large selection of standard inserts as well as toolholders from steel and carbide are available from stock.

With six cutting tools available, there's sure to be one that you can use to generate higher feed rates, longer tool life with higher stock removal rates.

The six cutting edged Minimill-system is also available with an anti-vibration carbide toolholder or a steel tool holder.

​If you have a shop (or a customer) that machines aluminum and aluminum alloys as its go-to substrate, why are you selling/buying general purpose tools?

You are working with the most popular-to-machine material. How does your company stand out from your competitors who machine aluminum? Isn’t the advantage of aluminum that it is already free-machining and more desirable to work with in the first place? Isn’t it likely your competitors have reached the same conclusion? If you are using general purpose tools, you are likely getting similar results to your competition. Here’s a suggestion on how to make a competitive advantage.

Application specific tools like the TMAL series from North American Tool allow you to optimize the tool you use for the aluminum you machine. Take advantage of a more aggressive geometry, a micro-grain carbide substrate and the ZrN coating to give you a performance advantage over general purpose tools.

•  Geometry

Higher helix for this application specific tool improves chip evacuation and takes advantage of the properties inherent in aluminum: malleability and elasticity. This permits higher feed rates and lower horsepower usage from your machine. In turn, the limited amount of deflection that takes place “in the cut” is transferred vertically and reduces overall vibration. The tools also feature an axial coolant hole to deliver the coolant “closer to the action” and add lubricity while extending tool life.

• Coating

The ZrN coating applied 1 to 4 microns thick reduces build up on the cutting edge, resists abrasive wear, improves lubricity, reduces overall friction and extends the life of the tool. This coating is used in many medical applications because it is a bio-compatible hard ceramic coating that has a cosmetically appealing light gold appearance.

Check out our Thread Mill Brochure below and find the tool that was created for your job.

• The TMAL tools are featured on pages 13 – 14. Page 13 features fractional sizes from #10 up to ¾” with pitches from 10 to 32, while page 14 has metric sizes from M5 to M16.
• Additional sizes are available upon request. Our research indicates the smaller the tool, the more that needs to be analyzed when creating the geometry so that failure is NOT an option.
• Also, if you have jobs that require NPT or NPTF threads, page 10 features our TMAL series for pipe threads.
• Sizes are available off the shelf from 1/16 up to 2 ½” and standard pipe thread pitches from 8 up through 27.

Keep in mind all diameters specified are just the shank the pitches are ground on. Your hole size should be large enough to allow for the circular interpolation to take place on your CNC equipment.

It is generally recommended (call it a guideline, not a rule) that the tool diameter should not exceed 80% of the hole size for which it is used.

We offer programming information on page 16 and troubleshooting info on page 17 for your convenience.

If you deal with exotic alloys like Inconel, titanium, Hastelloy, etc., this blog post is written especially for you.

Exotic alloys are alloys designed for high temperature applications (think aerospace), perform in corrosive environments (think underground), or have the highest strength to weight ratios (think earth moving applications). The machinability of these materials is NOT the first consideration. As much as it would be nice to have an aluminum firewall in a helicopter from the machinist’s viewpoint, as the pilot or passenger you want flame retardant and strong.

Some exotic materials can ignite spontaneously when machined and exposed to the atmosphere. It is likely these alloys were created to perform in applications where traditional materials would fail. Also, these alloys are typically more expensive than traditional steels machined in most shops.

So now, you are faced with machining (more specifically threading) these kinds of alloys. What’s an operator to do? Application specific tools have been designed with these considerations in mind. Thread mills made from solid carbide specifically for exotic metals are manufactured in the USA by North American Tool and a handful of other providers.

• Thread mills for exotic alloys are designed with only three teeth so there is less stress on the tool than a conventional thread mill with 6 or 8 or 10 teeth engaged in the material at the same time.
  
• Exotic solid carbide thread mills are made with left hand helix and left hand cut, which permit an operator to run from the top of the hole to the bottom and climb mill the threads. This will create a right hand thread in the part. 

You may ask why is a company that makes special taps informing you about thread mills?
The answer is North American Tool is the industry leader in designing and manufacturing SPECIAL TAPS FOR EXOTIC MATERIALS as well.

This is an alternative tool to the special taps we design every day in case your shop has at least a three axis spindle and deals with these alloys.

Because the tool is coated with AlCrN, the tool has greater heat and wear resistance in the high heat, higher abrasive applications one confronts when machining exotic alloys. The threads are milled, rather than cut, typically producing a better quality thread in the piece part.

As an operator, when you select the correct tool for the job, you use the right substrate (carbide in this case), the right geometry and the right coating (AlCrN) and you avoid the issues others face when they try to apply a general purpose tool to a difficult opportunity. It will make your shop stand out from the competition since you produce better results at a reduced cost.

If you are working with exotic materials and need a thread mill or special tap, contact our Customer Service team by email at [email protected] or by phone at 800-872-8277.