Regrinding & Downsizing
What is Regrinding & Downsizing?
Regrinding and Downsizing, put simply, is reconditioning a worn-out insert so that it can be reused. With regrinding, the cutting area of the insert is reconditioned. With downsizing, the insert is ground into a smaller standard insert. Regrinding and downsizing are ways to get the most life possible out of these tools. The major benefits of these processes are:
- Major cost savings to help keep our customers competitive in the world market
- A major initiative of saving some of Earth’s resources.
What are the different types of Regrind & Downsizing?
Periphery Grinding: Grinding around the periphery, or outer edge, of the insert to a specified size and tolerance.
Thickness/Vertical Surface Grinding: Grinding the face, or thickness, of the insert to a specified size and tolerance
Horizontal/Form Grinding
Edge Preparation: Reapplying the original hone or land edge of the insert
Additional Benefits of Regrinding & Downsizing
- Cost-effective: Regrinds and downsized inserts cost about half the price of a new insert
- Turn scrap material into usable inserts
- Turn other scrap into credit towards regrinds or new inserts
- Treated as new tools – held to the same high-standards with tight, consistent tolerances
- Reduce your company’s carbon footprint by recycling scrap
- Reduce ceramic in landfills by re-using it
Our Process
We strive to make your Regrinding and Downsizing program as simple for you as possible. Over the last 40 years, we have perfected our process to ensure that your experience with us is:
- Quick and Easy: Just send in your used inserts and leave the rest up to us.
- Controlled: This is a controlled process – each customer’s materials are kept separate from one and others.
- Cost Efficient: We aim for customer cost savings to be 25-50% or more
Steps:
- Send it In: Ship or drop off your used inserts to our facility. No amount is too large for us to handle.
Sorting: Don’t worry about sorting the used inserts yourself. Our sorting staff teams up with engineering to evaluate the material and categorize it based on pre-approved criteria. This will determine which of your used inserts are the best regrind or downsized candidates. - Report: After we have sorted your used inserts, we will report back to you with our findings. We’ll offer pricing for regrinding the best candidates from your used inserts, and credit your remaining scrap.
- Grind: Once you have decided to proceed, our team of engineers will work with you to determine the best regrind option for your specific application. We then get started regrinding, downsizing, or reconditioning your used inserts. Our regrinds are high quality and many times are held to tighter tolerances than your new inserts.
Materials
We work with inserts made from a variety of materials including:
- Carbide
- Ceramic
- Cermet
- PCD
- CBN
- Cerbide
Don’t see your material on the list? Contact us today and we’d be happy to discuss your options





