Types of Carbide Burrs

Carbide Rotary Burrs, often mentioned as rotary files or die grinder bits, are used to cut, shape, grind, and remove sharp edges, burrs, and excess material (deburring). A rotary burr is a rotating tool that's used for removing material. They're designed to rotate at high speed, enabling it to control the fabric it's performing on. Burrs are suitable for deburring, shaping, and enlarging holes when working with metal. Tungsten carbide rotary burrs are often used on all metals, including steel, chrome steel, and aluminum. They're commonly employed by metal fabricators and engineers for tool making, model engineering, jewelry making, welding, deburring, grinding, and sculpting.

What is a Carbide Burr?

Generally, a carbide burr is formed from either Tungsten Carbide or High Strength Steel (HSS). Tungsten carbide burrs are suitable when working with metal. Due to their extreme hardness, they will be used on far more demanding jobs and won't wear out, unlike HSS. What's more, HSS has less tolerance for warmth and can start to melt under high temperatures. Tungsten carbide burrs last longer and perform better under higher temperatures.

Types of Carbide Burrs

Where tungsten carbide burrs are often used on any metal, there are different cuts available to suit other metals.

Metal burrs are available either a single/aluminum cut or a double/diamond cut. Large single/aluminum cut carbide metal burrs have one right cut spiral flute and are used with forged iron, steel, copper, brass, and other ferrous materials like aluminum. Single cut burrs will provide faster stock removal with no clogging (clogging is typical with aluminum). However, they do not offer as smooth a finish as Double-Cut Carbide Burrs. Double/diamond cut has both a right and left cut, providing a faster and more refined finish. These are commonly used on steel, chrome steel, and other hard metals.

Single Cut Carbide Burr

Usually used with chrome steel, hardened steel, copper, cast iron, and ferrous metals can quickly remove the material with a smooth finish. Use for heavy stock removal, milling, deburring, and cleaning.

Designed for heavy removal of fabric, milling, deburring, cleaning, and creating long chips.

Double Cut Carbide Burr

Double cut carbide burrs tend to be used on ferrous and non-ferrous metals, aluminum, mild steel, and also for all non-metal materials like plastics and wood. They need more cutting edges and can remove material faster. This carbide burr bits for metal are the foremost popular cut and can see you thru most applications.

The double cut is sometimes mentioned as Diamond Cut or Cross Cut (2 flutes cut across each other). They're going to leave a smoother finish than a single cut thanks to producing smaller chips as they cut away the fabric. Use for medium-light stock removal, deburring, finishing, and cleaning. 

• Medium-light removal of fabric 
• Deburring
• Fine finishing
• Cleaning
• Smooth finish
• Creates small chips

Know More - What is the Deburring Process

Types of Carbide Burr Shapes

The varied Shapes of Carbide Burr and the way To Use Them

Making a choice on what shape to use will depend upon the profile or cut you're looking to realize.

These different shaped burs will get into many a nook and cranny and produce some exciting profiles.

Carbide Ball Burrs

These are small carbide ball burrs for carving and engraving metal, stone, wood, plastic.

Carbide Tree Burrs

Carbide pointed tree burr is used for rounding off edges and making concave cuts. Use the pointed end for cutting in hard to succeed in areas and acutely angled contours.

Carbide Inverted Cone Burrs

It is inverted cone-shaped tungsten carbide burrs for creating v-cuts and rear side chamfering.

Types of Cylinder Carbide Burrs

• Oval Burrs
• Cylinder Burrs
• Carbide oval burrs
• Flame Burrs
• Oblate Spheroid
• Countersink Burrs

Carbide Burr Speed

The rotary tool speed you employ will depend upon the metal and size/type of burr used. This rotary burrs for metal always best for optimum performance and results to see the manufacturer's recommendations for the right RPM to use with each metal burr. Ideally, you'll begin at a lower speed and increase as you go along; however, if you discover your burr is chipping, it's a symbol you're going too slow.

The Technique of Using a Carbide Burr

For the most straightforward results, and to form your burr, last longer, confirm you do not use an excessive amount of pressure while cutting. An excessive amount of pressure will cause the flutes' cutting edges to chip and become smooth prematurely, reducing the lifetime of your burr.

Always make sure that you retain the burr traveling the cutting area the maximum amount as possible. If the metal burr is left still for too long, this will cause clogging and stop it from digging and jabbing into the work, leaving a rough job with visible marks.