Carbide is a highly durable and wear-resistant material used in cutting tools for precision machining. Made from tungsten carbide combined with a cobalt binder, it offers exceptional hardness and heat resistance, making it ideal for drilling applications amongst others in tough metals such as stainless steel, nickel alloys, and carbon steel. Unlike traditional steel tools, carbide tools maintain their sharp cutting edges for longer, providing accurate drilling, better machining efficiency, and extended tool life. Whether you're machining tough metals, drilling in metals or working with high-performance alloy steels, carbide tools deliver consistent performance, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.
Carbide tools are a preferred choice for machining applications requiring extreme precision, strength, and longevity. Their hardness and heat resistance allow for higher cutting speeds, reducing cycle times and improving machining efficiency. They maintain sharp cutting edges longer than HSS tools and other conventional machine tools, making them ideal for tough materials like hardened steel, titanium alloys, and carbon steel.
Additionally, carbide tools resist wear, chipping, and deformation, providing the all-important consistency needed in high-volume production environments. Whether used in aerospace industry, automotive industries, or general precision engineering, carbide tools enhance performance, reduce tooling costs, and extend tool longevity.
Carbide tools can be used for a wide variety of machining applications, including centre drilling, deep hole drilling, reaming, and threading to name a few. They are particularly effective in drilling in tool steels and cutting a range of materials that standard tools may struggle with.
Commonly machined materials include:
Used for machining aluminium wing panels, ribs, stringers, and flying controls, as well as titanium pylons and load-bearing structures. Inconel and Nimonic 60 components, such as engine exhausts and high-temperature engine parts, require carbide tools for their strength and wear resistance. Carbide tools are essential for machining nickel alloys, titanium alloys, and tool steel components.
For machining aluminium turbo housings, pump housings, cylinder heads, break components and gearbox housings. Carbide tools are also used in cast iron engine blocks and brake callipers, as well as steel steering systems and drive shafts. Hardened steel camshafts and crankshafts require carbide for their high wear resistance. Carbide tools play a crucial role in drilling applications for mild steel, alloy steels, and carbon steel.
Used in high-performance applications, including aluminium panelling and engine parts, titanium engine components, and Nimonic 60 valve seats, guides, and exhaust components.
We offer both a comprehensive high quality standard range of carbide tools and bespoke tooling solutions. If you can't find exactly what you're looking for or face specific performance issues, our technical team can design and manufacture special carbide tools to optimise your machining processes.
At Exactaform, we don’t just manufacture carbide tools - we engineer performance. Our tools are designed to meet the most demanding machining environments, with design elements that enhance efficiency, precision, and tool longevity. Our engineering team can build in features such as variable pitch designs to reduce vibrations for superior surface finishes and process stability, optimised core profiles to increase strength and minimise deflection, and polished flutes to improve chip evacuation and prevent built-up edge (BUE).
Our carbide tools deliver greater process security, reduced cycle times, and exceptional performance across industries.