Precision Cutting Tools for Hard Materials

Superhard cutting tools for cast iron, hardened steel and non-ferrous machining

Koves manufactures PCBN and PCD cutting inserts — 180 standards across three product families — and supports them with grade selection, cutting data and custom tool engineering.

  • PCBN turning inserts
  • PCBN milling inserts
  • PCD & diamond inserts
  • Custom & special tools
Product categories3
Products126
PCBN / PCDCBN 40–95%
Hardened steelHRC 45–65
About Koves — 2009Dongguan, CN
Product categories

Our superhard tool families

Three product families cover the superhard machining spectrum: hard turning above HRC 45, interrupted milling in cast iron and powder metallurgy, and abrasive non-ferrous materials where PCD outlasts carbide by orders of magnitude.

PCBN Turning Inserts

PCBN Turning Inserts

PCBN turning inserts — CNGA, DNGA, SNGA, WNGA, CCGW, RCMX and RNMN styles for gray cast iron, hardened steel HRC 45-65 and powder metallurgy parts.

34 items
PCBN Milling & Rotating Inserts

PCBN Milling & Rotating Inserts

PCBN milling and rotating inserts — APMT, JDMT, LNMU, WNMU styles for interrupted cutting, cast iron milling and powder metallurgy components.

23 items
PCD & Diamond Inserts

PCD & Diamond Inserts

PCD and diamond inserts — CN, DN, SN, TC, VC, VB, TB and CNGN series for aluminium alloys, non-ferrous metals, composites and high-silicon materials.

69 items

Custom & special superhard tools

Non-standard geometries, special grades and dedicated solutions developed against your workpiece drawing — from one prototype edge to series supply.

A superhard tool specialist, not a general catalogue

Koves Precision Tools was built around one idea: a cutting tool is only as good as its fit to the workpiece. Since 2009 we have developed PCBN and PCD grades on German manufacturing technology and verified them in our own cutting laboratory against the actual part — not a generic test block.

Today we supply superhard inserts to metalworking customers worldwide, backed by a constant-temperature grinding workshop, in-house inspection and custom tool engineering that fits the insert to the part rather than the part to the catalogue.

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Why manufacturers choose Koves

Application-first engineering

We start from your workpiece material and hardness, then specify grade, geometry and cutting data — verified by trial in our own cutting laboratory.

Consistency across the batch

A constant-temperature grinding workshop keeps edge preparation and dimensions repeatable, so insert number 500 performs like insert number 1.

Custom tool engineering

When no catalogue insert fits, we design the geometry and select or tune the grade against your workpiece drawing — verified in our cutting laboratory before you commit to series supply.

Grade development in-house

CBN content, grain size and binder phase are developed in-house — so a grade can be tuned to your material instead of forcing your process onto a standard catalogue grade.

From drawing to stable production

Four steps, one responsible engineering contact. The same process runs whether you need one special insert or a managed tool package for a machining line.

1

Send the workpiece data

Material, hardness, operation, machine and targets for finish and tolerance. A drawing speeds everything up.

2

Grade & geometry selection

Our engineers specify PCBN or PCD grade, insert style and edge preparation, with starting cutting data.

3

Trial & verification

Tool performance is verified in our cutting laboratory or in your machine, and cutting data is tuned to your targets.

4

Series supply & project packages

Series production, stock management and ongoing application support keep cost per part falling and machines running.

Applications

Machining challenges we solve

Workpiece-material pages with grade selection logic and starting cutting parameters.

PCBN Inserts for Gray Cast Iron Machining

Gray cast iron is where PCBN earns its place most clearly. The material's graphite flakes make it free-machining, but its abrasiveness and the sand in…

Turning Mill Rolls with PCBN Inserts

Roll turning is the most demanding common application for PCBN. Workpieces are large, depths of cut are measured in millimetres rather than tenths, an…

View all applications

Case Studies

Proven in cutting tests

35 machining cases on hardened steel turning — internal tests and customer field applications with measured tool life.

KBCN5010 (coated) — Continuous turning of 16MnCr5 case-hardening steel
Field test at customer siteKBCN5010

16MnCr5 case-hardening steel — Continuous turning

Two field tests reached 890 and 850 parts respectively, against 650 and 720 parts for the Japanese reference grade — roughly 30% longer tool life at 215 m/min.

890 pcs — about 30% longer life
Shaft — outer diameter
Case 12
Field test at customer siteKBN9020

D2 cold-work tool steel — Continuous turning

Two edges machined 2,229 parts with flank wear of only 0.03/0.04 mm; the reference grade failed at 2,056 parts with 0.3 mm wear and edge chipping. Cutting speed 370 m/min (1,214 sfm), dry.

2,229 pcs on two edges
Hardened steel turning
KBCN20N — Bore turning of 20MnCr5 case-hardening steel
Field applicationKBCN20N

20MnCr5 case-hardening steel — Bore turning

Three times the part count of the previous grade while surface roughness stayed within specification — the edge could still be used.

3× part count
Gear — bore · HRC60

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Resources

Technical resources

Guides, parameter tables and answers — written for process engineers, not for search engines.

PCBN Grade Cross-Reference Chart

See which Koves grade replaces the Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Sandvik, Kennametal or Seco grade you run today — mapped by ISO application group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Grades, samples, custom tooling, MOQ and lead times — straight answers about sourcing superhard inserts from Koves.

Applications & cutting data

6 application pages with grade selection and parameter tables for cast iron, hardened steel, PM parts, aluminium and more.

Frequently asked questions

The questions sourcing and process engineers ask us most.

What is the difference between PCBN and PCD inserts?
PCBN (polycrystalline cubic boron nitride) is used for ferrous materials — cast iron, hardened steels, superalloys and powder metallurgy. PCD (polycrystalline diamond) is used for non-ferrous materials — aluminium, high-silicon alloys, composites and copper. PCD must not be used on steel or cast iron, and PCBN is generally uneconomic on aluminium.
Which PCBN grade should I use for my workpiece?
Grade selection depends on the workpiece material, hardness, and whether the cut is continuous or interrupted. As a rule: continuous hard turning of hardened steel favours low-CBN-content grades; interrupted cuts and gray cast iron favour higher-CBN-content grades with tougher binder phases. Send us your material, hardness and operation — our engineers recommend grade, geometry and starting parameters from actual test data.
Do you supply samples before series orders?
Yes. Trial inserts can be supplied for verification in your machine. In many projects we first verify performance in our own cutting laboratory using your workpiece data, then ship trial quantities with recommended cutting parameters.
Can you produce non-standard (custom) insert geometries?
Yes. Custom geometries, special edge preparations and dedicated grades are a core part of our business. We work from your workpiece drawing, operation list and machine data; prototype tooling is verified before series supply.
Do you support tooling for a whole production line, not just single inserts?
Yes. A project package takes a part from process analysis through to a working tool set: material and hardness assessment, grade and geometry selection, cutting data establishment, tooling supply, stock management and edge life monitoring. The aim is to lower cost per part across the line, not to offer the lowest unit price.
What information do you need to quote a tool?
Workpiece material and hardness (e.g. HT250 at HB 190, or 42CrMo at HRC 55), the operation and whether the cut is continuous or interrupted, machine and set-up rigidity, target surface finish and tolerance, and batch size. Current tool cost per part is helpful but optional.

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Send us your machining problem

Send material, hardness and operation — our engineers reply with a grade recommendation and starting cutting data, no obligation.

Request a quote