CNC technology has transformed stone fabrication.
Modern CNC equipment gives fabrication shops the ability to cut, shape, profile, drill, and polish stone with a level of repeatability that would be difficult to achieve through manual fabrication alone.
But CNC automation does not eliminate one of the most important decisions a fabricator still has to make:
Which tool should you put in the machine?
With different profiles, diameters, tooling types, materials, and applications to consider, finding the correct CNC tooling can quickly become complicated - especially when you are trying to identify a specific profile wheel from a large tooling catalog.
BB Industries has introduced two new online resources designed to make that process easier: the BBI CNC Tooling Resource Center and the interactive Diamut CNC Finder.
CNC Automation Still Depends on the Right Tooling
A CNC machine can automate a remarkable amount of fabrication work, but the machine is only one part of the process.
The tooling loaded into it is what actually performs the cutting, shaping, profiling, drilling, and finishing.
That means CNC productivity depends not only on the capabilities of the machine, but also on selecting tooling appropriate for the operation being performed.
Profile, tooling type, diameter, material, machine setup, and the desired finished result can all become part of the tooling decision.
In other words, automation makes the process more efficient - but it does not make tooling selection unimportant.
Start With the New BBI CNC Tooling Resource Center
If you are trying to understand CNC tooling, compare tooling types, or determine where to begin, start with the new BBI CNC Tooling Resource Center.
The resource center was built to give stone fabricators a practical starting point for understanding CNC stone fabrication and the tooling used throughout the process.
Rather than immediately dropping users into a large product catalog, the resource center helps organize CNC tooling into the major categories fabricators encounter in the shop.
- CNC Profile Wheels for creating and finishing stone edge profiles
- CNC Finger Bits for sink cutouts, inside cuts, and material removal
- CNC Core Bits for drilling holes
- CNC Tool Holders, Cones & Adapters for connecting tooling with CNC stone machinery
The goal is simple: understand what kind of tool you need before trying to determine exactly which tool to buy.
Already Know the Profile? Use the Diamut CNC Finder
Sometimes you do not need a lesson on CNC tooling.
You already know the profile you are trying to produce and simply need to determine which Diamut CNC tooling matches the job.
That is exactly what the new Diamut CNC Finder was built to do.
Instead of manually searching through profile wheel after profile wheel, the interactive finder guides you through the tooling selection process using the characteristics of the tool you need.
The process is straightforward:
Choose your profile → select the tooling type → choose the tool diameter → view matching Diamut tooling.
For experienced CNC operators, the finder provides a faster route through the catalog.
For fabricators who are still becoming familiar with CNC profile tooling, the visual selection process can also make it easier to connect a finished edge shape with the tooling used to produce it.
Why CNC Tooling Selection Matters
Modern CNC stone routers are capable of handling increasingly complex fabrication processes, but their performance still depends heavily on what happens at the spindle.
The wrong tooling choice can make an otherwise straightforward CNC operation more difficult. The correct tooling gives the machine the appropriate cutting or profiling geometry for the operation being performed.
This is particularly important with CNC profile wheels, where different edge designs require different tooling profiles and potentially multiple tooling positions to move from shaping through finishing.
That is why identifying the desired profile first can make the rest of the tooling selection process considerably easier.
The Machine Is Only Half of the CNC Equation
The stone industry has spent years improving CNC automation.
Machine manufacturers continue working to make CNC equipment easier to operate, maintain, and integrate into production. The September 2023 issue of Slippery Rock Gazette, for example, profiled Better Built Machines’ PALADIN CNC and discussed how experience refurbishing older CNC equipment influenced the company's approach to machine design.
The article describes how BBM studied recurring failure points found during years of CNC refurbishment and used that experience when developing the PALADIN.
It also highlights the scale of modern CNC tooling management: the PALADIN comes standard with 44 tool-holder positions.
That illustrates an important point for any automated fabrication shop.
A capable CNC machine still depends on the tools loaded into it.
Investing in CNC automation and developing a well-organized tooling strategy should go hand in hand.
Two Tools, Two Different Starting Points
The new BBI CNC resources are designed to work together, but they solve different problems.
If you are learning, researching, troubleshooting, or trying to determine which type of CNC tooling you need:
Start with the CNC Tooling Resource Center.
Use it to explore the CNC fabrication process, understand tooling categories, and narrow down the type of tool appropriate for your application.
If you already know the edge profile and are trying to locate the corresponding Diamut tooling:
Go directly to the Diamut CNC Finder.
Use the interactive selection process to narrow the available tooling and quickly reach the relevant Diamut options.
From CNC Education to the Exact Tool
CNC tooling catalogs can become complicated quickly.
Profile names, tooling types, diameters, positions, materials, and machine requirements all have to be considered before the spindle ever starts turning.
The new BBI CNC tools are designed to shorten the distance between “What tooling do I need?” and “Here are the tools that match.”
Start with education when you need it. Use the finder when you already know where you are headed.
And when the application requires additional help, BBI's CNC tooling resources provide another path to connect with people who work with stone fabrication tooling every day.
Find Your CNC Tooling
Whether you are learning about CNC tooling, replacing an existing tool, adding a new profile, or trying to identify the correct Diamut profile wheel, BB Industries now gives you two easier ways to start.