Blog | Instruments
Article dated 19/02/2025
La manicure with drill bits It is the most used technique by professionals today, because speed up the process e reduces the risk of damage the nail plate and surrounding skin.
However, if you choose the wrong tip, you risk extending the working time and injuring the customer.
If you want to understand which tips do you really need (and save time and money), this guide is for you!
We will see the first three large macro-categories of milling tips, and then we will go into the details of materials, shapes and degrees of abrasiveness.
THE THREE MACRO-CATEGORIES OF MILLING BITS
1. Tips for Dry/Combi Manicure
These tips are typically in diamond material, as in the case of the flame or the ball. Their main purpose is to lift the cuticles, clean the pocket from the pterygium and cut the cuticles. They are indispensable for finishing and smoothing the cuticle line and valleys, working delicately on natural nails.
If you are new to this or have particularly tight cuticles, it is useful to try a tip like the Oney Clean, which allows you to push them with ease and safety.
2. Dismantling Tips
The most suitable tips for quickly removing gel, acrylic or semi-permanent are in tungsten carbide or ceramic, often with a “cone” or “tree” shape.
They have a more rounded surface and greater abrasive power, characteristics that allow you to save time during the disassembly phases, especially when dealing with rather resistant layers of product.
3. Precision Tips (Refill)
Le precision tips or refill are often made of tungsten carbide (or other very resistant materials) and have thinner shapes, such as needle or other narrow tips. They are useful for finishing structures reconstructed in gel, acrygel or acrylic and for correcting small imperfections.
Their tapered shape allows you to work carefully in the most difficult to reach places.
WHAT ARE DRILL BITS USED FOR?
Milling cutters are used during several stages of treatment, including:
- Product Removal (gel, acrylic, semi-permanent)
- Lifting and detachment of the cuticles from the nail plate
- Cutting the cuticles, if necessary
- Honing of the cuticle girdle and of the lateral valleys
- Refinement of the gel, acrygel or acrylic structure
TIP MATERIALS
- Diamond:
versatile, suitable for natural nails, cuticles and details; often used in dry/combi manicure. - Tungsten Carbide:
ideal for dismantling very resistant materials (gel, acrylic, semi-permanent) or, in thin shapes, for finishing. Use with caution, because they can easily injure. - Ceramic:
They act delicately, but chip more easily; especially recommended for the “soft” removal of semi-permanent. - Silicone:
They are used to polish and refine the surface of the cuticle and nail; they do not remove material, but make the final result more refined.
SHAPES OF MILLING BITS
The shape of the tip determines its main function, allowing specific tasks to be performed with precision and safety.
Here are the main typologies
Choosing the right tip is essential to achieve flawless results and work efficiently.
Each shape has a specific function, and choosing the right tip ensures faster, safer and more precise work..
Flame
ideal for lifting and cleaning the cuticle and lateral folds, facilitating the removal of the pterygium.
palina
It can be used alone or in combination with the flame.
Perfect for lifting and cutting the cuticle, as well as removing hangnails and trimming side valleys.
Cone or Tree
thanks to its wider shape, it is ideal for working on large surfaces.
Often made of tungsten carbide, it is one of the most used tips for removing products such as gel and acrylic.
Needle and other thin/elongated shapes
designed to precisely correct both natural and reconstructed nails.
They must be used with care, keeping them almost parallel to the nail to avoid cuts.
DEGREE OF ABRASIVENESS
The abrasiveness of a router bit is often identified by a colored ring.
Yellow (or White) - Very delicate.
Tips with this ring are extremely delicate. This color is usually found only on diamond tips (not on disassembly tips) and is used exclusively to smooth valleys and the cuticle line after cutting.
Red – Low abrasiveness.
If it is on a diamond tip, it means that you can treat delicate to normal cuticles. If, on the other hand, the red ring is on a tungsten carbide tip, it indicates a delicate disassembly tip, particularly suitable for removing semi-permanent.
Blue – Medium abrasiveness.
If the blue ring is on a diamond tip, you can work on thick cuticles with a lot of pterygium. If it is on a tungsten carbide tip, it allows you to remove the gel delicately, although with a slower process.
Purple – Medium-high abrasiveness.
This ring is typically found on nail tips and indicates a level of abrasiveness that allows you to work safely and quickly on both softer materials, such as semi-permanent, and more rigid ones, such as gel and acrygel.
Green – High abrasiveness.
Suitable for removing large thicknesses of material, especially in very robust reconstructions.
Black -Extremely abrasive.
Strongly discouraged in any type of treatment, as it is excessively aggressive.
HOW MANY REVS SHOULD THE MICROMOTOR BE SET TO?
The speed of the micromotor It depends on two main factors:
- The type of tip used
- The type of nail plate of the client
From the speed range indicated below, if the cuticles are particularly difficult to treat, it is advisable to always start with the lower speed and gradually increase it as needed.
Recommended speeds for each type of tip:
- Flame Point: 12.000 – 18.000 rpm
- Dismantling Tips: 25.000 – 30.000 rpm
- palina: 7.000 – 10.000 rpm
- Corrective Refill Tips: 15.000 – 20.000 rpm
- Silicone Tips: 6.000 – 8.000 rpm
Setting the right speed is essential to ensure effective and safe treatment, avoiding stressing the nail plate and surrounding skin.
PROJECTED IMPACT
The choice of drill bits determines the quality and speed of your work, as well as ensuring the safety of the client. From dry/combi manicure tips to disassembly tips, up to precision ones, each category responds to specific needs.
Knowing materials, shapes and abrasiveness is essential to work safely and achieve a professional result. Experiment with different configurations, observing the reaction of nails and cuticles from time to time.
If in doubt, it is better to opt for a softer tip and slower movements, so as to avoid any risk of injury.
Nail Drill Bits
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