The difference between the carbide end mill & drill bit

Milling Cutter / End Mill
A multi-edge cutting tool mainly used for milling operations. It can perform side cutting, end cutting, slotting, cavity machining, and complex surface machining.

Drill Bit
A tool primarily used for drilling operations, typically for making holes in a workpiece.

• End Mill: Capable of both axial cutting (end cutting) and radial cutting (side cutting).

• Drill Bit: Mainly performs axial cutting and can only drill vertically into the workpiece.

• End Mill: Has multiple cutting edges with a higher flute count (2, 4, 6, even 12 flutes). Available in various types such as flat end, ball nose, and corner radius.

• Drill Bit: Typically has two or more cutting edges, with spiral flutes for chip evacuation.

• End Mill: Used for slotting, cavity milling, surface machining, finishing, and roughing.

• Drill Bit: Used for drilling, reaming, and countersinking.

• End Mill: Provides higher machining accuracy and smoother surface finish.

• Drill Bit: Mainly for initial hole-making with lower precision, often requiring follow-up with reamers or boring tools.

• End Mill: Can machine complex geometries on 3-axis or multi-axis machines.

• Drill Bit: Mainly limited to circular hole machining.

• End Mill = Multi-functional, multi-edge tool for surfaces, slots, cavities, and contours.

• Drill Bit = Specializes in hole-making, simpler in structure, primarily axial cutting.