A micro end mill includes a shank made of a first material and a cutting tip made of a second, different material that is bonded to the shank. The first material can be, for example, carbide or high speed steel (HSS), and the second material can be, for example, cubic boron nitride (CBN), polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), ceramic or polycrystalline diamond (PCD). The micro end mill is manufactured by producing a billet made of Superhard material using laser radiation, bonding the billet to a shank of the end mill, and removing material from the billet using laser radiation to produce a cutting tip made of the Superhard material. The laser radiation may comprise a laser beam encased in a water jet or a laser beam with a non-Gaussian intensity profile.

An auger useable for creating an opening in the ground for a soil sensor housing wherein the sensor housing has a predetermined volume and a tapered outer surface, includes an auger made in accordance with the methods described and defined in this specification. The auger having a shaft having an outer surface of circular cross-section having an larger outer diameter at one end than the other end and a strip material having a helical shape with an inner wall having a larger inner diameter at one end than the other end of the helical shape wherein the helically shaped material is fixed over the outer diameter of the shaft to form a tapered auger with helical flighting. The volume of the opening created by an auger in the ground will provide a matching volume for a sensor housing of a predetermined volume such that substantially the full length of the tapered outer surface of the sensor is adjacent the ground along the full length/depth of the created opening.

A metal matrix composite (MMC) tool includes a mesoscale-reinforced hard composite portion that comprises reinforcing particles and mesoscale reinforcing structures dispersed in a binder material. The mesoscale reinforcing structures are printed using at least one additive manufacturing technique and are larger than an average powder-size distribution of the reinforcing particles.

An article comprises a plurality of micro-sized or nano-sized galvanic cells, wherein the article has a seamless structure encompassing a plurality of empty spaces of different sizes, geometries, distributions, or a combination thereof, and one or more of the following properties of the article vary in different directions: tensile strength; compressive strength; electrical resistance; thermal conductance; modulus; or hardness.

A part includes a three-dimensional porous metallic workpiece printed via an additive manufacturing process and subsequently subjected to a diffusion-based process to convert at least a portion of the porous metallic workpiece to a ceramic workpiece or an intermetallic workpiece.

A cleaning cutting element includes an ultrahard layer joined to a substrate. The substrate includes a substrate bore formed at least partially therethrough. The substrate includes a plurality of conduits that extend from the substrate bore at a junction. The conduits exit the substrate at an exit opening in the circumferential wall to direct drilling fluid to a feature of the bit to which the cleaning cutting element is secured.

A method for forming a rotatable cutting bit involves inserting a mass of brazing alloy into a first cavity in a tool body, with a portion of the alloy protruding. A cutting tip is mounted onto the tool body by aligning a second cavity of the cutting tip with the protruding portion of the alloy. The first cavity and the second cavity are keyed into coaxial alignment with the bit's central longitudinal axis by the mass of brazing alloy. The cutting tip is then brazed to the tool body with the mass of brazing alloy. During brazing, the alloy extends into a gap defined between the tool body and the cutting tip. The assembly may be heated in a furnace to melt the alloy into the gap to ensure a secure bond.

A method for forming a rotatable cutting bit involves inserting a mass of brazing alloy into a first cavity in a tool body, with a portion of the alloy protruding. A cutting tip is mounted onto the tool body by aligning a second cavity of the cutting tip with the protruding portion of the alloy. The first cavity and the second cavity are keyed into coaxial alignment with the bit's central longitudinal axis by the mass of brazing alloy. The cutting tip is then brazed to the tool body with the mass of brazing alloy. During brazing, the alloy extends into a gap defined between the tool body and the cutting tip. The assembly may be heated in a furnace to melt the alloy into the gap to ensure a secure bond.

A method and a device for machining an elongated workpiece having a shaft extending in the direction of the workpiece longitudinal axis forms at least one groove with a defined groove surface on the workpiece by material removal by a laser beam directed with its beam axis onto the workpiece surface and guided along a laser path extending exclusively parallel to a groove profile curve corresponding to the intersection between the groove surface to be produced and a geometric plane that forms an angle with the workpiece longitudinal axis, where 90the angle of groove inclination. The distance between the curve and the path is predetermined such that the workpiece material located in the geometric plane on the path side facing away from the curve completely sublimates or vaporizes due to the laser beam power density when the beam is guided along the path.

Aspects of the subject technology relate to tools, system and methods related to a drilling tool that is fabricated using a bimetallic member that is subjected to an infiltration process. The method can include having an amount of precipitation hardenable steel and an amount of another type of steel. The precipitation hardenable steel and the other type of steel are metallurgically bonded to form a bimetallic member including a casting mandrel portion and a drill string connection portion. A reinforcing powder is infiltrated with a binder while in contact with the casting mandrel portion to form a metal matrix composite about the casting mandrel portion. A cutting structure is fabricated into the metal matrix composite of the drilling tool.