PCBN Hard Turning
Hard Turning Instead of Grinding
For gears, bearings, ball screws, powder metallurgy steel, and hardened parts where hard turning may be a practical alternative to grinding in suitable operations.
Typical machining challenges
- Keeping surface finish under control on hardened steels.
- Maintaining predictable wear in semi-interrupted cuts.
- Improving output without losing edge stability on high-hardness parts.
- Replacing slower or less stable grinding or ceramic routes where turning is technically suitable.
Recommended solution overview
HEYI HP-H05, HP-H21, HP-H10, and HP-S20 each fit different hard-turning conditions depending on interruption level, part geometry, and wear target. The right choice depends on material, hardness, and whether the process is roughing, finishing, or a grinding-replacement operation.
Application case evidence
Gear Hard Turning, Continuous Cutting
- Workpiece
- Gear
- Material
- 20CrMnTi, around HRC58-62
- Insert grade
- HEYI HP-H05
- Cutting data
- ap 0.1 mm, Fr 0.1 mm/r, Vc 180 m/min, dry cutting
- Result summary
- Surface finish reached Ra <= 0.8 versus Ra 1.0 from a comparison grade; tool life increased from 550 pcs to 800 pcs.
Gear Inner Bore Hard Turning
- Workpiece
- Gear inner bore
- Material
- 20CrMnTi gears, around HRC58-62
- Insert grade
- HEYI HP-H05
- Cutting data
- ap 0.25 mm, Fr 0.08 mm/r, Vc 135 m/min, dry cutting
- Result summary
- Cutting speed increased from 110 m/min to 135 m/min, tool life improved from 600 pcs to 1000 pcs, and efficiency increased by 22%.
Powder High-Speed Steel End Surface Turning
- Workpiece
- End surface
- Material
- High wear-resistant powder high-speed steel, around HRC65
- Insert grade
- HEYI HP-H21
- Cutting data
- ap 0.15 mm, Fr 0.1 mm/r, Vc 35-40 m/min, wet cutting
- Result summary
- Tool life reached 5 pcs, while a comparison PCBN grade stayed below 1 pc and failed by rupture.
Wind Power Bearing Machining
- Workpiece
- Wind power bearing
- Material
- 42CrMo4, around HRC58-62
- Insert grade
- HEYI HP-H10
- Cutting data
- Roughing ap 1.0 mm, finishing ap 0.15 mm, Fr 0.25 mm/r, Vc 145 m/min, dry cutting
- Result summary
- Cutting speed increased from 120 m/min to 145 m/min; tool life improved from 2 pcs per blade to 3 pcs per blade.
Ball Screw Hard Turning
- Workpiece
- Ball screw
- Material
- GCr15, around HRC60-62
- Insert grade
- HEYI HP-S20
- Cutting data
- ap 4.5 mm, Fr 0.10 mm/r, Vc 95 m/min, dry cutting
- Result summary
- Cutting speed increased from 65 m/min to 95 m/min, depth of cut rose from 0.5 mm to 4.5 mm, and wear remained stable instead of rupture.
Send your application for review
Send workpiece material, hardness, current insert or toolholder, cutting data, failure mode, and target result through Full RFQ. For a quick first discussion, use Contact Us. Relevant family: PCBN Tools.