Sutton Tools' Black Magic carbide drills outperform leading brands

The drills have been developed specifically for drilling stainless steels and super alloys, such as austenitic grades 304 and 316, duplex grades, as well as Inconels 718 and 725. The range is available from 3 to 13 mm in 0.1 mm step sizes, and from 13 to 20 mm in 0.5 mm steps. Across this range, there are further options that include a choice of two drill depths—3xD and 5xD—and two different drill lengths. Sutton Tools works with industry and universities, in conjunction with Australia's Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC), to develop tools for difficult-to-machine materials. The company has been developing the Black Magic range for a year and a half, during which time it has fine-tuned the design of the cutting geometries, edge preparation and product coating, as well as beginning the task of building up its stock levels in preparation for the official product launch. The Black Magic range features a Balzers Oerlikon Helica multi-layer (AlCr-based PVD) coating, which has been optimised especially for carbide drills. This protects the solid carbide ultra-micro grain base material of the drill by offering a thermal barrier between the workpiece material and the drill substrate. The outstanding oxidation resistance and hot hardness that this delivers contributes greatly to the stability at the severely loaded cutting edge corners, while improving the toughness of the multi-layer structure to significantly reduce the possibility of cracking. As part of a rigorous 18-month development process, Sutton Tools has conducted a series of exacting internal benchmarking tests to compare the performance of its Black Magic range against other leading brands on the market. This testing measures the loads incident on the cutting edges and uses data acquisition equipment to analyse the torque and thrust experienced by the tool. These levels are indicative of the load imposed on the cutting edge of the tool; the lower the value, the less hard the tool has to work and the longer the life expectancy of the tool will be. Test results have been "very encouraging", with the Black Magic drills "consistently outperforming" the leading brands currently on the market when analysed under identical operating conditions; tool wear is considerably lower; and tool life correspondingly higher. Looking to the future, Sutton Tools says it is likely that it will expand its Black Magic range to include drills designed for 8xD and 12xD cutting depths.