What is a Better Drill Bit, Titanium or Cobalt? The differences between them are relatively small but can be important depending on the application. While they are both used mostly for metal, they can be used for hardwoods, too. The only visual difference is the color which can readily tell them apart.īoth are meant to cut through hard materials that standard drill bits such as those made of high carbon steel do not work as well. In addition, both cobalt and titanium are similar in terms of strength and often used for the same type of jobs. They can withstand very high temperatures and still retain the sharpness of the cutting edges.įirst off, both types of drill bits can be used in the drill press and cordless drills, so there is no need to purchase a special tool or drill when choosing between either material. The cobalt drill bits are an excellent choice for drilling hard alloy steels, tool steels, spring steel, and aluminum alloys. You can re-sharpen the cutting edges without lowering the quality of the edges. Instead, cobalt is added to the alloy steel itself. Unlike titanium drill bits, these bits are not coated with cobalt. IRWIN M35 Cobalt Bit Set – Click to See Price The grade M35 has 5% and the grade M42 has approximately 8% cobalt in the alloy. The material used here is an improvement over High-Speed Steel with an addition of 5 to 8% of cobalt in it.ĭepending on the amount of cobalt content, these bits are graded differently. What are cobalt drill bits? They are made of alloy steel with cobalt content. In addition to the above three popular coatings, there is also AlTiN (Aluminum Titanium Nitride) which is slightly harder than TiAlN, and several other proprietary coatings. However, they are the most expensive and cannot be used for drilling aluminum due to the high content of aluminum in the coating. In short, the TiAlN coated drills provide the best results when compared to TiN, TiCN, or black oxide drill bits. This grey-colored coating offers higher ductility and hence TiALN coated bits are suitable for interrupted cuts during drilling. This allows you to utilize higher cutting speed and feed and increased productivity. At high temperatures, a layer of aluminum oxide is formed and it reflects the heat back onto the drill chips. Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TiAlN): The titanium aluminium nitride coating can withstand temperatures up to 800☌ (1450☏). The coating is harder and offers better wear resistance.Īs a result, the bluish/purple-colored TiCN coated drill bits deliver better performance than TiN. Titanium Carbo-nitriding (TiCN): The TiCN coating is better than the regular titanium nitride coating. You find this coating on a wide variety of cutting tools such as countersink bits, router bits, milling cutters, etc. Most wood drills with golden-yellow color have TiN coating. They can be identified by their bright gold color. Titanium Nitride (TiN): These are most commonly used entry-level coating. There are mainly three types of titanium coating that are commonly used. The advantages that titanium coated bit offers over steel are, higher wear resistance, ability to withstand higher temperature, and increased durability. Titanium drill bits are bits made of high-speed steel with titanium nitride coating. As a result the cobalt drill is continually drilling into hardened steel.High-Speed Steel with Titanium nitride coatingįor drilling wood, aluminum, copper, brass, mild steel, cast iron etc.īest for drilling tough alloy steel, weld seams, hardened steel etc. To cut beneath the area which is hardening. The cobalt drill, with its thick web, cannot be fed at a fast enough rate This means the drill is cutting softer steel. Penetrate the work hardening stainless fast enough to continually cut beneath the chip which is hardening from deformation. HSS Magnum™ Super Premium Drill Bits - Norseman™ Drill and Tool a drill with its thin web will They can be used to drill metal, hardwood, and most other materials at greater cutting speeds than carbon steel bits, and have largely High speed steel (HSS) is a form of tool steel high speed steel bits are hard, and much more resistant to heat than high carbon steel. High speed steel taps, feed and speed for both drills and taps and calculator, drill bit terminology and information on our growing company. Since 1951, Norseman™ Drill and Tool - presents our current tools in the product catalog in downloadable sections, along with troubleshooting of high speed steel drill bits and America´s Finest High–Speed Cutting Tools™

Cobalt drill bits