CUTTING EFFICIENCY OF HEDSTROM, S-FLIES AND U-FLIES MADE OF VARIOUS ALLOYS IN FILING MOTION

The cutting efficiency for sizes 25 and 35 stainless steel Hedstrom S and U files from 10 manufacturers, and titanium-alloy Hedstrom S and U files from five manufacturers, tested for linear (filing) motion unde r standardized conditions were determined. Special plastic samples hav ing well-defined abrasive properties were used as the substrate and co nstant pressure was applied until the instruments were blunt. The dept h of the groove achieved by filing was used to measure cutting efficie ncy. For both sizes there were significant differences in the cutting efficiency of files made by the various manufacturers (<0.001). Hedstr om files made of stainless steel, made by VDW, gave the best cutting e fficiency for sizes 25 and 35. Overall, under the conditions of this s tudy, Hedstrom files had better cutting efficiency than S or U files. Likewise, stainless steel files provided better cutting efficiency tha n instruments made of titanium alloys.