Made of solid carbide, these end mills are harder, stronger, and more wear resistant than high-speed steel and cobalt steel for the longest life and best finish on hard material. Their extreme hardness means they are brittle, so a highly rigid setup, such as a CNC machine, is necessary to prevent the end mill from breaking. They have an angled profile for making chamfer, bevel, and other angled cuts.

End mills with two flutes provide better chip clearance for high-volume, high-speed roughing cuts. End mills with four flutes provide a finer finish and operate with less vibration when run at high speeds.

Use uncoated end mills for general purpose milling and short production runs. Use titanium-aluminum-nitride (TiAIN) coated end mills for demanding, high-speed jobs in hard material as well as for longer production runs. They’re more wear resistant than uncoated end mills. They also dissipate heat better than other end mills, especially at high speeds. At high temperatures, this coating creates a layer of aluminum oxide that transfers heat to the chips, keeping the tool cool, even when used without lubrication.