Purchasing Advice Views: 14

Cost calculation: 1) Per-piece tool cost - purchase price / number of parts machined; 2) Machinable quantity - from tool life (parts or hours); 3) Total cost - tool + sharpening + coating + management; 4) Compare per-piece cost across brands and grades, not unit price. Example: a cobalt HSS countersink at RMB 50 machining 5,000 parts = RMB 0.01/piece; a standard HSS tool at RMB 20 machining 1,000 parts = RMB 0.02/piece. The cheap tool looks cheaper but costs more per part. How to cut costs: 1) Right tool - match grade and coating to material; do not use standard tools on hard materials, or premium tools on soft ones (waste); 2) Right parameters - moderate speed, good feed, cutting fluid; wrong parameters cut life several-fold; 3) Timely sharpening - sharpen when dull, not until chipping (chipping may ruin the tool); one sharpening costs 1/3-1/5 of a new tool; 4) Re-coating - re-coat after coating wear at 1/4-1/3 of new cost; 5) Less waste - better inventory, less loss, rust, damage; 6) Volume buying - better prices, keep more of common specs; 7) Re-sharpen reuse - 3-5 sharpening cycles = one tool used as 4-6; 8) Process optimization - better programming, fixtures, and process cut tool wear; 9) Do not watch unit price only - watch per-piece and total cost; cheap tools may wear fast, change often, scrap batches - more expensive overall. We can run tool cost analysis and recommend the best value solution - ask us.