With this in mind, Jill Glynn, Commercial Services Manager at Sandvik Coromant, explains how tool reconditioning can extend the life of a tool - and ultimately provide a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to buying new.

Even if the word "reconditioned" initially leads many people to assume that the performance of worn, overloaded tools is limited compared to new products, reliably reconditioned tools deliver exactly the same consistent machining results as new tools. Nevertheless, there are still some misconceptions about reconditioned tools.

Reconditioning does not equal repair

In contrast to a repair, where only the defective parts are inspected and replaced, reconditioning rejuvenates all product facets. As a result, reconditioned tools are in the same condition as a brand-new product.

However, the reconditioning of cutting tools differs slightly from the reconditioning of other products, as tool wear can vary greatly depending on the application. For example, in the automotive or aerospace industries, where tools often have to produce many bores in a single operation, there is usually more damage. The same applies to industries that operate under difficult conditions: For example, tools used in the aerospace and oil and gas industries are often exposed to harsher environments, which can also reduce their service life.

Because with solid carbide tools the question is not whether the tool is reconditioned, but only when this is done, tool manufacturers should definitely consider tool reconditioning as early as the design phase.

Saving the CAD data usually ensures that the reconditioned tools have the original geometries and coatings. This is absolutely essential for special tools, as otherwise the customer-specific tool specifications cannot be met again.

Act sustainably

Unlike buying and re-buying new tools, a tool that can be re-used multiple times helps to improve sustainability. This is an important aspect, as solid carbide tools such as those from Sandvik Coromant are made from a range of non-renewable raw materials such as cobalt and tungsten and the resources of the latter, for example, are expected to be exhausted in 100 years' time.

Consequently, tools must also be used for as long as possible to ensure the sustainable use of limited resources, which is why tool reconditioning plays an immensely important role. Sandvik Coromant, the global market leader for tools and machining solutions, offers its own tool reconditioning service that customers can integrate into their tool strategies. As almost all of Sandvik Coromant's solid carbide tools are suitable for reconditioning, customers simply need to send their worn tools to the appropriate center in a reconditioning box supplied by Sandvik Coromant. In the specialized centers in Europe, Asia and America, both the tool geometry and the tool coating are restored to the original specifications.

Several reprocessing cycles

Even if a single reprocessing cycle significantly improves the durability of tools, ideally tools should be able to be reprocessed and used several times. Tool manufacturers should therefore always strive to produce tools that can undergo several reconditioning cycles without any loss of quality.

For this reason, Sandvik Coromant has developed the new solid carbide drill CoroDrill 860 with -GM geometry. Its improved tool design ensures a longer tool life compared to its predecessors in the CoroDrill series. The Swedish tool specialist also guarantees that the drilling tool is suitable for up to three reprocessing operations. This means that when purchasing the latest CoroDrill 860, the customer receives not one, but effectively four tools for their drilling operations.

Replacing solid carbide tools by simply buying new ones can be both costly and less sustainable. However, for tool reconditioning to play a key role in companies' sustainability plans, the first step is to dispel misconceptions about tool reconditioning. After all, tool reconditioning can not only help manufacturing companies to get the best out of their tools, but also, as in the case of the CoroDrill 860-GM, to triple tool life.