A Guide to Tool Change Timing for CNC Routers

In the process of long-term use, the cutting tool of the furniture data router will inevitably wear out. If it is not replaced in time, it will greatly affect the efficiency and quality of cutting. So when is the right time to replace the tool of the furniture CNC router?

1. Look at the tool.

When the rake face cuts plastic materials, chips and rake face contact each other, mainly to form crescent wear. When the flank is cutting brittle materials, the contact length between the chip and the rake face is shorter, and the relative roundness of the insert causes greater flank wear. When cutting steel materials due to boundary wear, deep grooves are often ground on the flank with the primary cutting edge close to the workpiece surface and the secondary cutting edge close to the tool tip.

Furniture Cutting Machine

2. Look at the processing process.

If intermittent and irregular sparks appear during processing, it means that the tool is worn out, and the tool can be replaced in time according to the average life of the tool.

3. Look at the color and shape of the iron filings.

If the color of the filings changes, it indicates a change in machining temperature, possibly due to tool wear. According to the shape of the iron filings, there are saw teeth on both sides of the iron filings, and the iron filings are abnormally curled and become thinner. These phenomena are the basis for judging tool wear.

4. Look at the surface of the workpiece.

There are bright marks, but the roughness and size have not changed much, which is actually the tool has been worn.

Wood Router Tool Magazine

5. Listen to the sound.

Processing vibrations will increase. Unusual noise when the tool is not fast. Always take care to avoid "knife cuts", which can result in scrapped workpieces. For example, when the tool is cutting, the workpiece has serious burrs, roughness reduction, workpiece size change and other obvious phenomena are also the criteria for tool wear.

These are the common forms of tool wear in furniture CNC cutting machines. However, due to the different materials processed by customers in daily production, the wear patterns of cutting tools are also different. Customers need to pay attention to the observation summary frequently, and they will understand how to judge the degree of tool wear after a long time. Once the tool is worn out, it needs to be replaced in time to avoid delaying the production schedule.