Which Annular Cutter Do I Use?

What is an annular cutter?

An annular cutter is a specialized bit for drilling through steel. Like a hole saw for wood, an annular cutter only cuts the outside edge of a hole.

It produces accurate burr-free holes to close tolerances without pre-drilling or step drilling. It can drill a much larger hole and requires less force and time than a standard twist drill bit. As it turns, the cutter produces chips from the outside cutting edges and after cutting the hole a ‘slug’ (round chunk of steel from the center of the cutter) falls out.

Why use an annular cutter?

Annular Cutters offer superior holemaking capabilities. They cut faster, last longer, produce a better hole finish, a true round hole with very tight tolerances, can be re-sharpened and drills holes with less power and torque.

Which annular cutter do I use?

Use this chart to determine which annular cutter to use. The cutter you select depends on the diameter of the hole, the depth of cut and the type of material. A wide range of annular cutters are designed to cut through the following materials:

• Carbon Steel

• Stainless Steel

• Aluminum • Hard Alloys ex: Titanium

• Hastelloy

HSS Annular Cutter 

What is diamter and depth?

When determining cutter size, they are measured by depth and diameter. If you look at an actual cutter the depth is actually longer than what it is rated, (a 1" cutter is really 1-1/4") because this ensures the tool can drill all the way through the hole and allows extra length for resharpening.

What is cutter geometry?

Angles on the cutting teeth make a big difference in how the tool performs. More precision angles increase the tool life and accuracy. Hougen tools have four different tooth geometries.

• 2 angle

• 2 & 3 angle

• Stack-Cut

• Industrial

Why does my slug stick?

Using lubricant or cutting fluid helps the slug to eject at the end of the cut. But when slug ejection becomes unreliable or the steel resists cutting, it probably means the cutter’s cutting edges are becoming dull. Re-sharpen or replace your cutter. Also make sure there are no chips inside your cutter which can hold up a slug. Also periodically check your ejection springs to maintain proper spring life.

TCT Annular Cutter

Why not use quick change cutters?

Quick change cutters are nice and convenient if you need to change sizes every hole or two. But using a mag drill with the two set screws to hold the cutter in place offers a couple of advantages:

• Holds the cutter more rigid and less opportunity for it to move and break

• Will give up to 2x the tool life

Is a carbide cutter better than a HSS cutter?

Not necessarily. Carbide cutters are great tools and work good in most types of materials. But where they really shine is when they are used in hard or abrasive materials. They can be used in mild and structural steel but to get the best performance, carbide tooling needs to be turned at a much higher RPM than HSS cutters.

Can I get a custom cutter made?

Absolutely! Zhuotuo can solve your holemaking problems with creative solutions to help you get the job done, complete it faster and at a lower cost. We have helped thousands of customers with unique holemaking solutions. Give us a call or send us an email.