BT40 tool holder looks very similar and can easily be confused with CAT40 tool holder. As we know, CAT is the American standard and BT is the later technology of Japanese standard. So what are the main differences between them? Please see the following technical specification.

CAT40 VS BT40, there are 3 main differences:
1. The length of the taper is different. BT40 toolholder has a slightly shorter taper by about 4mm. This effectively reduces the contact area in the spindle and means BT uses longer studs. So two different studs for CAT40 and BT40 are needed.
2. The style and thickness of the flange is different. BT40 tool holder flange part is thicker than cat40 toolholders.
3. The thread for the pull stud (retention knobs) is a different size. BT40 tool holders use metric thread pull studs.
Functionally there is absolutely no advantage or disadvantage. They are equal good. The choice depends on where you live and which tool supplier you prefer. If you live in Asia you probably should have bought a BT40 tool holder kit. If live in American, usually CAT40 tool holder kit is your choice. Also depends on the machine, if your machine use BT40 or CAT40, you should choose the matched model.
As the size of CAT40 and BT40 tool holder is totally different, so CNC tool holder tool station clamps for auto tool changer carousel are also different. But CAT40 plastic tool clips and BT40 tool changer fingers are also very similar in appearance. So when you choose to tool holder clip, please check with tool changer manufacturer or consult with the specialist supplier.

RicoCNC is a one-stop shop for CNC tools and able to offer you the correct CNC tool clips for your auto tool change magazines. It is a reliable and professional cnc tool holder fork supplier for cnc robotics and tool changer cnc mills.

Different country’s standards occur different tool holders. There are mainly two parts, one is 7:24 universal tapers, like ISO, BT, CAT, SK Series, another is 1:10 HSK hollow shank taper.
Different machines use different shank tooling systems.

As 7:24 universal tapers have many standards, they look like, but some dimensions still different.

MAS BT shank is Japanese standard, BT Tool Holders have BT30, BT40, BT50, with keyway and non-keyway
DIN 69871 shank also called SK shank, JT shank, DIN, DAT, DV Shank, there are SK30, SK40, SHK50 shanks
ISO 7388/1 shank, also called IV or IT shank.
ANSI B5.50, famous as CAT shank, there are CAT40, CAT50, CAT60
HSK series have 6 sizes, HSK-A, HSK-B, HSK-C, HSK-D, HSK-E, HSK-F.

Machine Tool Shanks Tapers Dimensions: please check the attached photos.

Rico CNC supplies a range of toolholder fork fingers for tool magazines, such as ISO10, ISO15, ISO20, ISO25, ISO30, SK40, JT40, JT50, BT30, BT40, BT50, HSK25E, HSK32E, HSK40E, HSK50E, HSK63A|E|F, etc, you can check in our cnc spare parts.

Polyurethane Foam, Polyethylene Foam, Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS), Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) and Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), insulation foam and similar types of foams are widely used for mould making, statues making, big 3d signs making.
A big size CNC router or a CNC robot with a big long foam mill bits can do these kinds of foam milling job. But how to choose the foam cutters? And how to set rpm specs?

Usually, two kinds of foam mills widely used, ball end and flat end. Flat end foam router bits widely used for foam cutting, rough cutting, ball end foam router bits widely used for foam cutting, finish carving.
For fast milling, you can choose a big diameter shank and CEL foam bits.

How to set the specifications?
The big foam bits RPM designed is 7000-10000RPM.
For EPS foam milling, we suggest setting the spindle RPM at 8000RPM. It is good for the machine cutters and can get a good surface finish.

For example, cut 80mm thickness polystyrene, we suggest twice cutting, one path cut 40mm thickness, running 8000rpm, feed rate at 150mm/Sec.
If you cut 80mm thickness once, run 8000rpm, feed rate should be within 70mm/Sec. Please try it.

Other information for reference:
I usually mill with these bits at about 7,000 rpm, and 70 inches per minute. It depends on the foam. I usually set the feed to 70 ipm, since that is the fastest I want to run the machine. Then do a test cut, and turn the rpm down until the foam cutting sounds good, (sort of a slicing sound)...Continue Reading

A CNC suction cup is a vital part of CNC pod and rail machining center and CNC router machine. It is mounted on the console to clamp the workpiece by vacuum and be moved to adjust their positions depending on the workpiece. The suction pods are suitable for processing small and high precision parts and can be machined on the side. They are widely used for solid wood processing.

There are three common CNC vacuum pods for CNC work center in the woodworking machinery market.
1. Biesse ATS CNC vacuum pods
ATS is Abbreviation for 'Advanced Table Setting'. These CNC pods are manually positioned. There is a white nylon support locating ring on the bottom of this kind of pod. The base bodies of the vacuum cups are inserted into a holding fixture on a pod and rail table. The base body and holding fixture have a grating that is divided into 15° steps. Thus, it is possible to position the vacuum cup in different angles on the pod and rail table. These CNC vacuum pods are easy to find in Biesse rover series CNC machine. There are three different heights: 29mm, 48mm and 74mm vacuum pods for Biesse.These CNC suction pods include black suction valves, locating rings and gaskets.

2. Homag and Weeke CNC suction pods
These suction blocks are manufactured by Schmalz. Schmalz is one of the world's leading suppliers in vacuum technology. It can provide a wide of product range includes a variety of suction cups with various shapes, sizes and materials. The suction cups for Homag and...Continue Reading