What type of metal tends to create continuous chips during cutting?

Ductile metals are characterized by their ability to deform plastically without breaking. This property allows them to flow and form continuous chips during cutting processes. When ductile metals are machined, the cutting tool interacts with the material in such a way that it steadily displaces and shears off a long, continuous ribbon of metal instead of breaking it into smaller, fragmented pieces.

This behavior is particularly evident when using higher speeds and feeds during the machining process, as ductility results in a smoother machining operation with less tool wear and a more controlled chip removal process. In contrast, brittle metals tend to fracture and create discontinuous chips, while hard metals may produce irregular and short chips due to their resistance to deformation. Soft metals might create different chip types depending on the cutting conditions but do not typically exhibit the continuous chip behavior as consistently as ductile metals.