COMMON QUESTIONS & PROBLEMS WITH CARBIDE BITS

By: Scott Bahr

Bit Service is proud to provide many services to our clients, including answering any questions they may have as they wade through the waters of the bit world, including common problems with carbide bits. With more than five decades of experience walking alongside clients, helping them better understand and thrive in this technical realm, we have encountered an abundance of questions and worked hard to answer them.

When it comes to carbide bits, there are some common problems our clients face and we’re here to answer their questions. Read on to learn more about how you can excel in our industry and make the most of your resources.

CARBIDE BIT PROBLEM #1 - DOES A LARGER CARBIDE BIT LAST LONGER?

We get this question a lot, and we always stress to our clients that what it really comes down to is the bit selection. Typically, you want to select the sharpest bit profile while also maintaining enough strength to hold up to whatever you are cutting. If you just focus on placing the bit with the largest carbide insert, you are likely to experience weakened cutting performance. This is an oversimplification which ignores carbide insert profile, grade, mechanical cutting method and machine horsepower.

Bottom Line: With all other factors being equal, the sharper the bit, the better it will cut. But (and this is an important but), it will also dull faster. Hence, in regards to the optimal carbide bit selection, you need to find a bit that is perfectly situated in that sweet spot—somewhere between the sharpest and the longest lasting—for it to hold up and perform.

Regarding that sweet spot, bit life and quality of operation is sometimes a challenge to balance. For a client to realize optimum value, however, these factors need to be weighed and brought into perspective, somehow finding an agreed upon ideal middle ground where all necessary functions are operating and doing so with the highest level of performance possible. Maximizing penetration rate while considering the input power requirement and related increase in machine maintenance requirements all require calculation. As each situation is unique, Bit Service can help you evaluate your specific needs and find that perfect, “balanced” bit.

CARBIDE BIT PROBLEM #2 - HOW DO I CHOOSE THE BEST BIT RETAINER STYLE?

With so many choices for bit retainer styles, it comes as no surprise that this is a query on many of our clients’ minds. There are external bit retainers that can be notoriously difficult to install. But at the same time, the upside is that they provide a very positive and unyielding hold on the bit inside the block. Internal or integral retainers ease the installation procedures, though sometimes at the expense of maximum retention. Just as we mentioned above regarding carbide bit selection, it’s all about finding that great balance: in this case, the balance of how much retention you need versus how much effort the bit retainers are going to be to install, and thus able to change a worn bit with ease.

Again, when it comes down to making the final call, only you can decide what is that best balance, your specific, individual sweet spot. However, Bit Service does do an excellent job of guiding—answering any questions that arise en route—as you weigh your options to determine the right decision for you.

CARBIDE BIT PROBLEM #3 - HOW DO I KNOW WHAT IS AFFECTING MY BIT’S LIFESPAN?

This is a question that has no one-size-fits-all answer, of course. Many people will be surprised to discover that reduced functionality and shorter life might not be a problem with the bit itself. For example, it is quite common for the block or sleeve that a bit fits into to become worn out to a point that it really begins to affects the bit’s life. External elements, changes in ore grade or strata, or modifications in the cutting plan all have an effect on the bit wear life. In such circumstances—because each situation is so different regarding dynamics and what is happening inside and behind the scenes—the best strategy would be for Bit Service to step in, assess the situation in-depth, and provide the ideal solution. We can come out and see the situation in person to inspect the whole system, see how it works together, and pinpoint precisely what is causing the issues.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF HOW BIT SERVICE CAN HELP YOU ASCERTAIN EXACTLY WHAT’S AMISS:

We had a customer come to us who was using a very large and costly bit on one of their mining machines. The wear life was excellent, however, there were opportunities for increased penetration rate and reduction in replacement cost by a small redesign. We developed an intermediate sleeve, enabling them to use a much smaller, sharper profiled, and more cost-effective bit, whereby they achieved better advancement rates and improved performance out of the machine. Quite often, we do have customers using road headers or scalers that they will have multiple bit options for, depending on what they are cutting on that particular job. Bit Service can help with all of this and more.

If you’re curious about what else Bit Service can do for you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.