304 stainless steel tubes contain alloy elements such as Cr, Ni, N, Nb, and Mo, which enhance the tubes' toughness and wear resistance, making them widely used in electrical and mechanical equipment. However, they have poor machinability, often resulting in broken tools and tool adhesion during actual processing. Due to the significant plastic deformation of stainless steel during cutting, the chips produced are difficult to break and tend to stick together, leading to severe work hardening during the cutting process. How to address the difficulty in cutting 304 stainless steel tubes?

Selecting the appropriate cutting tool is fundamental to producing high-quality parts; poor tools lead to a high rate of scrapped production. Choosing overly superior tools, while they may meet the surface quality requirements of the parts, can lead to waste and increase production costs. Considering the poor heat dissipation, the formation of work-hardening layers, and the tendency to stick to the tool during stainless steel tube cutting, the selected tool material should have good heat resistance, high wear resistance, and minimal affinity with steel pipes.