Tangentially Mounted Inserts: A Good Avenue for Recycle 2009-01-0134

Recycle, Reuse, Repair have become a mantra today for cost reduction. More importantly it reduces the demand of natural resources and helps protect environment. There are many ways in which cutting tools can be recycled. Some examples are used up extra long drill [1] and used up crankshaft grinding wheel [2]. Used up indexable inserts can also be reused by grinding a groove to remove the blunt/dull portion [3], selecting an application where the unused portion of a large cutting edge can be put to reuse [4], reuse by grinding a corner radius to remove the blunt/dull portion [5]. This article explains the concept of reuse of used up tangentially mounted plain inserts and shows that such mounting is best suited for the recycling of indexable inserts and can substantially reduce the tool cost. This recycle can reduce the consumption by almost 50% or more depending on the nature of dullness of insert during the initial use. Conserving natural resources is therefore a good possibility.