The second half of the 2017 video highlights from Instagram and Facebook.

Carbide end mills are a form of powdered metal.  In simple terms, Carbide rod is created by mixing Tungsten Carbide powder (WC) with a binder, Cobalt (Co). It is extruded into a carbide rod and then, under heat and pressure, sintered into end mill rod stock.  By increasing the cobalt content, you will increase the TRS value and "toughness" of the tool. e.g. it will 'bend" more, but it will also dramatically reduce the wear resistance of the carbide. Cobalt is just not as wear resistant as carbide.  That's why cobalt end mills wear out quicker than carbide end mills.

The TRS reaches a maximum at cobalt content of about 15% (by weight) and a medium to coarse Tungsten Carbide WC grain size. Typically, the cobalt content of an end mill ranges between 8-12% (by weight) of the carbide in most end mills.  

It's important to know that the cobalt content of a carbide end mill is measure by weight and NOT volume.  

Think about mixing up a cake.  You pour your milk into a measuring cup based upon the VOLUME of milk you need.  In contrast, when mixing carbide rod, you MEASURE THE WEIGHT of the carbide and the WEIGHT of the cobalt on scale for the proper mix. 

Carbide weighs A LOT more than Cobalt!  To see this for yourself hold a cobalt end mill in one hand and a carbide end mill in the other.  Because Cobalt weighs much less than Carbide it takes up MORE VOLUME: It's a bigger pile as you increase the percentage of cobalt.

It bears repeating, Carbide substrate is measured by weight.

If you where to measure the VOLUME of the cobalt in a 12% Cobalt  (by weight) carbide end mill, that volume may be as high as 24-28% (depending on the grain size of the carbide). That's the reason for the reduced wear resistance of the higher cobalt content but also the reason that those end mills have a higher TRS value and greater "toughness"

For a much more detailed breakdown of carbide substrates and how carbide is made please take a look at our technical section at this link: CARBIDE SUBSTRATE.

This article originally appeared in CNC West, June-July 2016 issue,
"Driven to Perform: Odenthal Manufacturing" written by Sean Burr

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is not really on anyone’s radar as being a hotbed of manufacturing, but it should be. This lakeside resort community is a jewel in the Idaho panhandle with skiing and boating the main attractions. In a city of 60,000 people Forbes lists it inside their top twenty plac- es for small business and careers. It’s also where David Oden- thal grew up, started racing, and built his machining business.

Odenthal Manufacturing came about through David’s love of racing go karts and his dad’s automotive machining back- ground. “Growing up my brother and I raced karts,” explains David. “Dad had an automotive machining business in the local area and spent every penny he made putting my brother and I through racing. He wasn’t married so it was what we did together. We traveled all over the country on what was considered to be a small racing budget.”

​After graduating high school in 1986 David attended Northern Idaho College’s two year vocational machine tech program. After graduating in 1988 he got a job with MSM Design making various types of film equipment including IMAX cameras. That is where he got his first shot at designing. “Marty Mueller was my mentor and gave me a shot at designing a brand new film magazine” said David. He had a skill and love for both racing and making things, so in 1992 Keith Odenthal sold his automotive machine shop, teamed up with David, and Odenthal Manufacturing was born. Their first product was the Odenthal Racing Products engine mount for go karts. 

In the history of Destiny Tool we have not had a tool promotion.  This is the first.  

Here's how it started.
We've had such a wonderful following on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube of customers posting their success stories with our Viper End Mills in 6061, 7075, Brass, Bronze and Copper, making Aerospace  Defense, Racing components and medical products that we wanted to thank them ALL for their support with a special offer...

But then we started talking about it here at the factory...  

Then we talked to with several of our regional manager's and distributors and to some machine shops...  

Frankly, it just didn't seem fair to only offer some special pricing just to our loyal followers, 

"We should offer it to EVERYONE and EVERYONE should thank all of our loyal followers for making this promotion happen!"

All we ask is one thing from you. Say Thank You to the people that made this promotion happen by picking one of the following:

1. Follow the #DestinyTool hashtag on Instagram and thank some of the people who have posted video's and pictures of their Destiny Viper experiences, or
2. Check out our Facebook page and the folks who have shared their Destiny Viper experiences and thank or LIKE their page!. A Lot of small business that can always use your support with a LIKE.
3. Or you can visit our YouTube Channel; We've favorited many of our customer's video's so you can find them and give them some LIKE!

Give them a big thank you to each of them for making this special pricing promotion happen because we can't ever thank them enough for their continued loyalty and support!

Jon Addis is the owner of Area 419 Firearms near Toledo, OH.  John has been sharing and posting his videos of Destiny end mills on Facebook Page and more recently on his YouTube channel. The video below is his most recent video using a 5/8" Viper end mill in 6061-T6 Aluminum. The video below is HSM adaptive roughing with a Destiny Viper DVH 5/8 x 2" LOC. 0.250" step over, 0.500" DOC, 6,000 RPM, 90IPM.  According to John

​Take a look and then feel free to jump over to his Facebook or Youtube channel and ask him for more details.  

Destiny Tool Customer Profile: John Addis
John graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology.  He also attended Wyotech, and received a certification in Automotive Technology and Chassis Fabrication.  Along with that he's taken TIG welding classes at Owens Community college, and "perfected that art at home with my own machine."

According to John, "I have been building and modifying things pretty much my entire life.  The past five or so years though has been dedicated mainly to Precision Rifles.  I love working on guns, and my work shows it, this is more than just a job for me its also a hobby."

Area 419 is a relatively small operation right now running out of a 1500 sq.ft shop. It's just the kind of aggressive entrepreneur that we here at Destiny Tool really admire.  Some of our very best customers are small shops.  They're the ones who watch their dollars and take a deep dive analysis into cycle times and efficiency. They do their research and they optimize their tools. 

Small machine shops make up over 80% of the metalcutting machining industry.  They are some of the most innovative people we meet. They think out of the box. They always preface a conversation about speeds & feeds with "I'm just a small shop, I don't want to take up a lot of your time" but they almost always have done their research and are the people with their sleeves rolled up, mopping the floor up from coolant, talking to a customer on the phone and watching our end mills rough out material.  We love small shops! 

Small Shops are what makes us strong. Small shops are what makes us innovate. If you get a be sure to check out John's website and what he does. Support a small machine shop near you!