Chip-form-er (ch p fr m ..r) n
A geometric shape on the rake face of a cutting tool. This shape forms the chip at the shear zone so the chip produced doesn't interfere with production. Chipformers differ from chipbreakers. A chipbreaker bends the chip after it has been cut so it breaks into smaller pieces, while a chipformer forms the chip as it is cut. Chipformers can be applied to many cutting tools, and often produce a controlled chip shape using less power, less heat and less force than chipbreakers.
Coined by Bradley Teets April 1987 in the article "Chip Control On Cutoff Tools" American Machinist Magazine
