solid cbn inserts

What is Solid CBN？

Solid CBN inserts, or full CBN inserts (CBN for Cubic Boron Nitride), are made by sintering ultrafine CBN powder with a bonding material. In other words, it is a product using powder metallurgy process to produce. Unlike traditional tipped CBN inserts, full CBN inserts are easier to shape and lower production costs. Additionally, they provide more cutting edges per insert, effectively reducing the unit cutting cost.

The performance of solid CBN tools

1. High hardness and wear resistance:
– Its single crystal microhardness ranges from HV8000 to HV9000, making it one of the hardest materials known today.

2. Heat resistance:
– It withstands temperatures of 1400 to 1500 ℃. At 800 ℃, its hardness matches that of Al2O3/TiC ceramics at room temperature.

3. High chemical stability:
– It exhibits high oxidation resistance, showing no oxidation at 1000 ℃. It remains unreactive with iron-based materials at 1200-1300 ℃.

4. Good thermal conductivity and low friction coefficient.

Machining advantages of solid CBN turning insert:

(1)Harded steel turning ( HRC50-68) with high cutting data.

Machinists commonly employ solid CBN inserts in hard turning applications. Specifically, they use these inserts for machining materials like high-manganese steel and high-speed steel, and hardened steel. Typical parts include rolling mortar walls, high-speed steel rolls, hardened gears and shafts, bearings, ball screws, molds, and more. ( Please refer to the below video No.1 )

Most importantly, this new application can replace grinding:

The cost of hard turning with full CBN insert is only 1/4 of the grinding cost;
It does not require special tools, special machine tools, or fixtures.
Hard turning with solid CBN inserts achieves high productivity compared to grinding, thereby resulting in significant savings in machining time.

ToolingBox controls the insert size tolerance within +/- 0.01mm and can achieve Ra 0.8-1.6μm surface roughness. The solid CBN turning tools can reduce machine tool requirements and cycle times, eliminate cutting fluid, and are cost-effective for gear and bearing industries, replacing grinding.

(2) High feed speed with big cutting depth for grey cast iron machining:

Solid CBN tools can achieve cutting speeds up to 1000m/min (Vc) and cut depths up to 4mm when machining grey cast iron components such as engine blocks, cylinder heads, brake discs, brake drums, pulleys, and clutch pressure plates. Consequently, these capabilities make solid CBN tools highly efficient for various automotive applications.

(3) Other hard-to-machine materials:

Solid CBN inserts excel in machining high hardness materials like cast iron, superalloys, and nickel-based alloys. They ensure longer tool life and superior performance in surfacing and welding applications. ( Please refer to the below video No.3 for ” roller machining with Solid CBN inserts“).

ToolingBox Solid CBN Grade List

Solid CBN Grade	CBN content(%)	Particle Size （um）	Application
TB100	88-94	8-12	High speed machining for normal gray cast iron, such as engine cylinder and cover
TB200	50-70	2-4	Hard steel after heat treatment with HRC50 above, such as hardened steel, die steel, bearing steel etc.
TB300	90-95	30-40	Wear resistant alloy cast iron with high speed, such as brake disc and brake drum and so on.
TB400	85-90	20-30	Alloyed cast iron and alloy cast steel, such as roller, slurry pump and mine machinery etc.
TB500	85-90	1-3	High-temperature alloy, such as aero engine etc.

ISO Size of ToolingBox Solid CBN inserts

Insert Type	ISO Size	Radius	Solid CBN Grades
Insert Type	ISO Size	Radius	TB100	TB200	TB300	TB400	TB500
	RNGN0603	00	●	●	●	●	●
	RNGN0903	00	●	●	●	●	●
	RNGN1204	00	●	●	●	●	●
	RNGN1207	00	●	●	●	●	●
	RNGN1507	00				●
	RNGN1907	00				●
	RNGN2010	00				●
	RNGN2507	00				●
	SNGN0903	08	●	●	●	●	●
	SNGN0903	12	●	●	●	●	●
	SNGN1204	08	●	●	●	●	●
	SNGN1204	12	●	●	●	●	●
	CNGN1204	08	●	●	●	●	●
	CNGN1204	12	●	●	●	●	●
	CNGA1204	08	●	●	●	●	●
	CNGA1212	12	●	●	●	●	●
	DNGN1504	08	●	●	●	●	●
	DNGN1504	12	●	●	●	●	●
	VNGN1604	08	●	●	●	●	●
		12	●	●	●	●	●
		16	●	●	●	●	●
	TNGN1103	08	●	●	●	●	●
	TNGN1103	12	●	●	●	●	●
	TNGN1604	08	●	●	●	●	●
		12	●	●	●	●	●
		16	●	●	●	●	●
	RCGX0907Y	00				●
	RCGX1510Y	00				●
	RCGX1910Y	00				●
	RCGX0907V	00				●
	RCGX1207V	00				●
	RCGX1510V	00				●
	RCGX1910V	00				●