With so many CNC tooling options on the market, choosing the right set can be difficult. Every supplier claims faster speeds, longer life and better finishes – but in real fabrication environments, the difference between tooling brands very quickly becomes clear.
For many fabricators, the biggest frustration isn’t the CNC machine itself. It’s the amount of manual finishing that is still required after machining, inconsistent results between materials, or sets of tooling that simply don’t perform as expected. All of this costs you money and additional delay for your client – both of which you want to avoid.
At Stonegate, we work with fabricators, helping them to deliver consistent, high-quality results on all materials from granite and quartz through to porcelain and UCS. Over time, we’ve seen exactly where many other CNC tooling options fall short, and why more and more fabricators are moving towards high-performance CNC tools that perform on all materials, like the Stonegate exclusive range of profile tooling – Infinity.
So why are fabricators still hand finishing after CNC processing?
One of the most common assumptions in the industry is that hand finishing is unavoidable once the material has come off the CNC. Actually, hand finishing is often a sign that the tooling you’re using on the CNC is not fully optimised. In many cases, standard CNC tooling struggles with:
These outcomes often require a return to manual hand finishing just to achieve what they consider an acceptable result. The problem is, manual finishing costs money in labour expenses, increases inconsistency between hand finishers, and slows down production in the factory.
Stone fabrication these days should have minimal reliance on manual processes, and that’s why Infinity tools were developed.
The tooling on the CNC matters just as much as the machine
A CNC machine can only perform as well as the tooling it is equipped with. Many fabricators invest heavily in in machinery, only to continue running tooling that limits the machines capability. This affects:
Some alternative tooling brands do perform well, though they often require material-specific setups, slower feed rates, or more attention from the CNC operator to ensure the results are good enough.
Infinity tools, exclusive to Stonegate, are designed differently. When developing these tools, our focus was on guaranteeing versatile, consistent tooling, capable of running efficiently across all materials without having to constantly change your setup and process.
Electroplated vs Sintered Tooling
When comparing CNC tooling, one of the first things to consider is the difference between electroplated and tooling.
Many CNC tools are electroplated. These tools generally maintain their shape throughout their lifespan, but they do have their drawbacks. Such as:
Infinity tools use advanced sintered bond technology, which guarantees;
Sintered tooling such as Infinity can eliminate hand finishing while improving overall productivity in the factory, provided it is combined with the correct setup and tool management process. One such system is Optimo, exclusive to Stonegate, a CNC profile tool optimisation service proven to deliver excellent results and improve profitability.
The problem with material-specific tooling
One challenge we regularly see with CNC tooling is the need to have multiple sets of tools, for fabricating different materials. This results in various issues in the factory:
Infinity tools were specifically developed as a solution to fabricating all materials, rather than constantly swapping between sets between jobs.
Why Infinity tools were developed
As porcelain and UCS materials become more common throughout the industry, many fabricators are finding their existing sets of CNC tooling aren’t achieving acceptable results on these materials.
Fabricators often find themselves having to compromise between speed, finish quality and life of the tool, depending on the material being fabricated. With Infinity, it’s easy to overcome those challenges. We developed our range with advanced bond technology, precise distribution of diamond and impeccable centricity.
What makes Infinity tools different from alternative options?
One of the biggest differences with Infinity tools is the level of manufacturing precision. Superior centricity allows the tooling to run more accurately and with minimal variance. This creates smoother, more even contact during the machining process. Compared to many other CNC tooling options on the market, this helps to:
Infinity tools are also manufactured to extremely tight tolerances, which makes sure that there is consistency across all tools in the set.
Speed, without compromising finish quality
Reducing time spent on processing whilst maintaining a good finish quality has a direct impact on profitability. Infinity tools are designed to run efficiently at both standard and high operating speeds. Compared to some alternative CNC tooling brands, fabricators have achieved dramatically reduced processing times whilst still creating an excellent finish.
Do faster speeds result in shorter tool life?
With many other CNC tooling brands, increasing speeds often increases the wear and reduces tool consistency over time. Infinity tools, when paired with our tooling management system Optimo, continue to deliver reliable performance across all materials even at higher operating speeds, and ensures that tool wear is managed far more effectively throughout the process.
Take it off the shoulders of your CNC operator
If you are using the incorrect tooling, which hasn’t been calibrated correctly, the contact between the tools and material will be inconsistent, resulting in an inconsistent finish and increased tool wear. In situations like this, it will require hand finishing after has been on the CNC machine, which should never be the case. Investing in a CNC should result in huge savings on your hand finishing department.
Infinity tools are designed to implement a more stable and repeatable CNC process in your factory, reducing the need for a high level of skill. This helps to reduce how much you rely on manual hand finishing, improve the finish consistency no matter the CNC operator, eliminate the risk of any human error, and just simplify your workflow.
The support and training provided by Stonegate’s technical team makes it possible to implement a much more efficient tooling workflow.
Is it too late to improve an existing CNC process?
Not at all! Don’t assume that you’ll always be hand finishing. Instead, have a look at your tooling. Upgrading from alternative tooling brands to a more optimised tooling solution like Infinity with Optimo, results in:
Why are more UK and Irish fabricators starting to use Infinity Profile Tooling?
Fabricators should aim to produce high quality, consistent results as efficiently as possible. To do so, they will need to move towards high-performance CNC tooling solutions that work on all materials, such as Infinity.
Whether you’re looking to reduce hand finishing in your factory, improve the consistency of finish that your CNC produces, or increase how many jobs you do per day, our technical team is here to help. This ultimately results in a more profitable, more efficient factory – with fewer processing problems and complete confidence that every CNC job will be an acceptable finish. Save time, reduce hassle and take the pressure off your fabricator’s shoulders.
Book a visit to our Innovation Hub at Stonegate House, where you can have the opportunity to see Infinity tools in action, and we can help you better understand the real possibilities that a fully optimised CNC tooling setup leaves you with. To learn more about the tools or to arrange a visit, contact us today on +44 (0)1482 620400 or [email protected].
