Drilling 95% Tungsten Darts

[TomG]

Tungsten is hard and not very ductile so it can be a challenge to machine. It requires sharp carbide tooling with lots of clearance and relief, That fact and the high temperatures generated causes the tooling to wear very quickly, so keep and eye on it. Cutting speeds are similar to grey iron but with slower feed rates. If you try to push it, it pushes back big time. Rigid setups are also necessary due to the high machining forces and any chatter will chip the tool.

It's been a while since I've machined tungsten, but I definitely don't miss it.

Tom