Gühring: Tool manufacturer with service guarantee

Cutting is a collective term for various production processes. The machinist uses cutting tools to give an object a defined shape. To achieve this, they remove excess material in the form of swarf. The following techniques are most commonly used in the industry for precise machining: turning, drilling, milling, countersinking, threading and reaming.

Cutting tools have one or more wedge-shaped cutting edges. These penetrate the material through force and produce swarf. The more force exerted on the cutting edge, the deeper it penetrates.

The angles between the workpiece and the cutting edge influence the machining process and vary depending on the material to be machined.

The clearance angle is necessary for the tool to cut. The harder the material, the smaller the clearance angle should be.

The wedge angle affects the cutting force. If it is large, this results in a stable cutting edge but also higher cutting forces. A cutting edge with a small wedge angle, on the other hand, is sharper and more unstable.

The cutting angle determines how the swarf is removed. When machining soft, long-chipping materials, the machinist chooses a large cutting angle.

In manufacturing technology, all processes for the production of workpieces are described as manufacturing processes. These are manufacturing processes in accordance with DIN 8580. This standard categorises the different techniques into six main groups of metalworking as shown in the table below.

Manufacturing process main group	Subgroup (technology)
Manufacturing processes for primary shaping	Casting, 3D printing
Manufacturing processes for reforging	Rolling, forging, extruding
Manufacturing processes for separating	Cutting, drilling, milling
Manufacturing processes for joining	Soldering, welding
Manufacturing processes for coating	Painting, powder coating
Manufacturing process: material properties	Sintering, freezing, irradiation

During cutting, the tool removes material from the workpiece to change its shape. The most important processes in this group are machining production processes. These are used in metalworking, for example.

When machining, the machinist can process the workpiece very precisely. Cutting tools from Gühring are therefore primarily used where perfect surfaces are required: in the automotive industry, aerospace and mechanical engineering.