Ran the same 400 parts with a dull insert and a fresh one and the cycle time difference was 11 seconds

Noah Walker · 2026-09-25T09:35:03.704606+00:00

I always figured an insert was an insert once it got in the cut, so I'd run them way past when they started squealing to save a few bucks. Then a guy I work with handed me a fresh one for a batch of 4140 and told me just to watch the load meter instead of arguing. Same program, same feeds, but the spindle load dropped from 78 percent to 61 and chips actually broke instead of birdsnesting everywhere. I timed it and I was losing 11 seconds a part and fighting stringers all day on the dull one, which on a 400 part run is way more than the insert costs. Now I swap at the load spike and I'm not spending my lunch break untangling chips. Anyone else track load instead of just going by sound or the clock?

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Ran the same 400 parts with a dull insert and a fresh one and the cycle time difference was 11 seconds | CNC Operators - Guest Forum