Needs help with carbide insert naming that doesn't seem to follow standards

kdtop

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Hey all,

I have been beating my head against the wall trying to figure out carbide insert nomenclature. I have studied this chart: https://www.carbidedepot.com/formulas-insert-d.htm but it seems that I keep running up against examples where it doesn't fit. I also looked at this chart: https://www.mitsubishicarbide.com/mmus/catalog/pdf/catalog_en/c007a_j.pdf (contains an ISO chart)

Here are some examples:
  • I got an insert holder in an auction. On the side it says "Kennametal -- NELR 82 INSERT NPR 51. I am considering "NPR 51" According to the chart, we have N for 55° parallelogram, P for 11 degree relief, but then the next letter is supposed to be for Tolerance, bu there is no code for R. I suspect they just skipped tolerance, e.g. NP?R. Next, the 5 would be for size code for .625", and the 1 is for thickness of 0.0625". The rest of the codes are left off. I found what seems to be a match on Amazon, here https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WYBBJS The title contains "NPR 51", but the picture shown is labeled "FLPR 51", and I can't see any match for "F" in the shape section of the chart.

  • I got another holder that has on the side "INSERT RD 10P RKAL 10P". I interpret this to be that the insert is "RD 10P" or "RKAL 10P". I'll try RKAL since it has more letters". Decoding this, I see shape is R for round. But "K", which should be for for clearance doesn't have an entry for "K". If I skip clearance, e.g. "R?KAL" then I can find a match of K for tolerance of .0005", and then A for hole/chipbreaker of cyndrilical and no chipbreaker. But what, then is "L" for?? Next to consider is "10P". I am guessing this is the size. "10" is supposed to correspond to 1.25", but what then is the "P"??

  • While trying to find a match for the previous example, I found this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175701041150 It gives the specs as "RPHX 10T3M4EN-M31". This should be good, I think. R=round, P=11 degrees clearance, H=.0005" tolerance. But "X" doesn't match to anything for the Hold/Chipbreaker category. And clearly it has a central hole. Why "X"?? The next part could be "1" or "10". I think it must be "10" because a separate "0" wouldn't make sense. So 10=1.25" inscribed circle. Next would be "T3", which according to the chart is an ISO designation (whereas all the elements higher on the chart are all ANSI". T3=0.156" thick. Next we have "M4". This should be describing radius. And the chart lists entries for "M0" and "04", but none for "M4". Next is "E", which corresponds to wiper angle of 75°, and "N" is for 0° wiper clearance angle. Next we have a "-" which I don't see in the chart. And then "M". The next entry on the chart is "Cutting Edge preparation", but doesn't have a match for "M", and I don't see a match either for "31".
It seems that most of the items I find on Amazon or Ebay are just as confusing to me.

Confusing elements:
  • It seems that there are multiple standards, ANSI and ISO being two. And I wonder if older holders were following an older standard, which I can't find on the web.
  • It seems that the system is supposed to codes in certain positions (1st, 2nd, 3rd etc), but sometimes people just skip a part, and everything gets shifted over a position.
  • It seems that sometimes manufacturer model numbers are thrown in, making it difficult to figure out which is the carbide code and which isn't
  • Sometimes codes for other stuff seem to be tacked on, or follow the code separated by a space. I can't figure them out either.
Questions:
  1. Am I making this harder than it should be? Is there a better chart? Is there a better way to look at this?
  2. What am I missing?

Thanks in advance,
Kevin
 
I've given up on trying to decipher carbide codes. It seems like every manufacturer has their own way of coding. The only way I have been able to decode them is to use the particular manufacturer's decoder ring.
 
There are lots of manufacturers, but especially Kennametal, that use their own code
 
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