ThinBIT

What ThinBIT does

ThinBIT (legal entity Kaiser Tool Company, Inc.) is a US-based manufacturer of small precision cutting tools, founded in 1964 in Fort Wayne, Indiana by William and Hazel Kaiser, and currently led by President Lenore E. Perry, Vice-President Doug Perry, and COO Ken King. The company designs and produces cutting tools for grooving, threading, boring, parting, turning, face grooving, milling/trepanning, and form tooling — organized into branded product lines including GROOVE 'N TURN®, DEEPGROOVE®, MICROBIT®, MINI-BORE® (and MINI-BORE TRIGON®), LITTLEBIT®, MINI GROOVE 'N TURN®, FORM-A-GROOVE®, DESIGN-A-GROOVE®, and MILL A GROOVE™. Standard grooving tools are stocked in .001" width increments, solid carbide internal tools (MICROBIT) reach internal diameters as small as .073", and the catalog carries 100,000+ in-stock items plus custom-engineered solutions delivered in 3 days to 2 weeks. PCD and CBN tipped inserts extend the line into higher-performance materials.

Revenue is generated primarily through sale of in-stock precision cutting tools (hardware sales) plus custom tooling designed for customer-specific applications (also hardware sales, quote-based, MOQs from 5 to 10,000+ pieces). Distribution is anchored by an extensive channel of national US industrial distributors (Grainger, MSC, Fastenal, Amazon, Blackhawk, PTSolutions, DXP Enterprises, Vallen Distribution), state/regional distributors, and international distributors covering Japan/Korea, China, India, and Italy. Direct quote requests are handled within 48 hours with CAD drawings, pricing, and terms; orders process via fax or email. Pricing is unit-level for standard items with no minimum order (a surcharge applies below $50), Net 30 terms for US and international customers, and quote-based for custom work (30-day quotation validity). The customer base is horizontal: CNC machine shops, Swiss screw machine operators, and custom tooling applications, with no significant enterprise anchor logos disclosed. The company also operates Laser Images®, a wholly-owned subsidiary since 1987, providing laser marking, engraving, and etching services as an adjacent service line. Operations are housed in a single Fort Wayne facility that was purpose-built in 1994 and expanded by 8,000 sq ft in 2018. The company is privately held with no disclosed outside investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity beyond the in-house creation of Laser Images®.

Name

ThinBIT

Legal name

Kaiser Tool Company, Inc.

Website

https://thinbit.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ThinBIT (Kaiser Tool Company, Inc.) is a US manufacturer of small precision cutting tools — grooving, threading, boring, parting, and turning — serving CNC machine shops, Swiss screw machine users, and custom tooling customers via national and international distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Cutting Tools

NAICS

Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515)

SIC

Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

Keywords

• Precision cutting tools
• Grooving inserts
• Boring bars
• Threading tools
• Custom tooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Standard Cutting Tool Sales: Sale of in-stock precision cutting tools including grooving, threading, boring, parting, and turning inserts and toolholders. Over 100,000 standard tools in inventory.
2. Custom Tooling: Custom-designed inserts and toolholders for specific applications. Fast delivery available from 3 days to 2 weeks depending on complexity. Order quantities from 5 pieces to 10,000 or more.
3. Form Tooling: Custom form tools for generating multiple groove forms simultaneously. Used for combinations of grooves, arcs, angles, convex and concave radii.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ThinBIT (Kaiser Tool Company, Inc.) manufactures and sells small precision cutting tools used for grooving, threading, boring, parting, and turning operations on CNC, Swiss screw, and conventional machining equipment. The company stocks more than 100,000 standard tooling solutions and also designs custom inserts and toolholders for specialized applications, with delivery ranging from 3 days to 2 weeks.

Product overview

ThinBIT® (Kaiser Tool Company, Inc.) is a world leader in manufacturing small precision cutting tools, offering over 100,000 in-stock tooling solutions since 1964. The product portfolio centers on grooving, threading, boring, and turning tools organized into distinct product lines: GROOVE 'N TURN® for standard grooving and turning; DEEPGROOVE® for deep cut support blade style tools; MICROBIT® for solid carbide micro-tools; MINI-BORE® (including TRIGON® variants) for indexable boring; LITTLEBIT® and MINI GROOVE 'N TURN® for smaller diameter applications; FORM-A-GROOVE® for multi-insert form tools; DESIGN-A-GROOVE® for custom tooling; and MILL A GROOVE™ for trepanning/milling operations. The company also offers laser marking services through Laser Images®.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GROOVE 'N TURN®: Grooving & Turning Tools
• DeepGroove®
• MicroBit®
• Mini-Bore®
• Mini-Bore Trigon®
• Littlebit®
• Mini Groove-N-Turn®
• Form-A-Groove®
• Design-A-Groove®
• Mill A Groove®
• Laser Images®
• DURA-MAX®
• CuttingEdge®

Products and services

• GROOVE 'N TURN® Insertable external/internal grooving tools for internal diameters of 1.250" and larger. Tools can groove, turn/bore, and generate profiles. Available in CNC, Swiss, Conventional, and Round toolholder configurations with groove widths from .004" in .001" increments. For CNC and conventional machine shops requiring precision grooving and turning tools.
• DEEPGROOVE® Support blade style grooving and face grooving tools supporting depths of cut up to 1". Offers groove widths of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6mm with recessed pocket and raised edge for chip control. For precision manufacturing applications requiring deep grooving.
• MICROBIT® Solid carbide internal grooving tools for diameters of .125" and larger with depths of cut up to .150". Features elliptically ground necks for greater strength and groove widths from .004"-.250" in .001" increments. For micro-machining and small-diameter applications.
• MINI-BORE® Indexable turning and boring tools with TD .160" I.C. and TP .250" I.C. triangle inserts. Available in .002", .007", .015", and .031" corner radii with flat, molded, and ground chipbreakers. For precision boring operations.
• MINI-BORE® TRIGON® Indexable boring tools using Trigon inserts for rough boring with minimum bore sizes ranging from .210" to .410" depending on insert style. Features .004", .008", and .015" corner radii. For manufacturers requiring rough boring in small diameters.
• LITTLEBIT® Insertable external/internal grooving tools for internal diameters of 1.250" and larger with groove widths .004"-.125" in .001" increments. Also includes insertable parting and internal threading capabilities. For manufacturers needing flexibility in grooving, parting, and threading.
• MINI GROOVE 'N TURN® Insertable internal grooving, face grooving, and threading tools for internal diameters of .325" to .415" and larger. Features groove widths .004"-.125" in .001" increments. For Swiss screw machine and small-diameter machining applications.
• FORM-A-GROOVE® Form tools for generating multiple groove forms simultaneously using stacked inserts. Forms can include combinations of grooves, arcs, angles, convex, and concave radii. External applications up to 2" wide, internal up to 1" wide. For manufacturers producing complex groove geometries in a single operation.
• DESIGN-A-GROOVE® Custom tooling design service for inserts, toolholders, and specialized grooving solutions. Custom geometries include lead angles, top rakes, chip breakers, chamfers, clearance angles, radii, tolerances, and special forms. Fast delivery from 3 days to 2 weeks. Order quantities from 5 pieces to 10,000 or more. For manufacturers requiring application-specific tooling.
• MILL A GROOVE™ Insertable external milling tools designed for trepanning on CNC machines. Major diameters of .300", .750", 1.250", and 3" with depths of cut 2-1/2 to 3 times groove width. Groove widths .004"-.150" in .001" increments. For manufacturers machining large-diameter groove features concentric to spindle rotation.
• Laser Images® Full-service laser marking, engraving, and etching with over 30 years of experience. Services text, logos, bar codes, or scales on flat, irregular, or circular parts in wood, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, or firearms. For manufacturers and brands needing precision part marking.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered major and regional.

• BlackhawkmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. Blackhawk is a major industrial distributor providing broad market access for cutting tools.
• PTSolutionsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. PTSolutions provides industrial tool distribution services.
• DXP EnterprisesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. DXP Enterprises is a large industrial distribution company.
• Vallen DistributionmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. Vallen Distribution specializes in industrial supplies and tools.
• MSCmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. MSC (mscdirect.com) is a major industrial supply distributor.
• AmazonmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorE-commerce marketplace distributor of ThinBIT products through Amazon shop.
• FastenalmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. Fastenal is a large industrial distribution company with extensive branch network.
• GraingermajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational distributor of ThinBIT products. Grainger is a major industrial supply distributor.
• NoahregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForeign distributor for Japan & Korea markets.
• Shienzhen Xixiu Ind & Trade Co. Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForeign distributor for China market. Phone: 755-8369-2842.
• RMD ToolsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForeign distributor for India market.
• RootsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForeign distributor for India market.
• NovatearegionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForeign distributor for Italy market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OSG USA: Manufacturer of taps, end mills, drills, and threading tools with strong Swiss screw machine and small-diameter offerings overlapping ThinBIT's threading and micro-tooling lines.
• Ingersoll Cutting Tools: Specialty cutting tool manufacturer (now part of IMC Group) producing grooving, turning, milling, and threading tooling with comparable application focus. Direct competitor for many of ThinBIT's standard catalog SKUs.
• Micro 100: Manufacturer of solid carbide tooling for small-diameter and high-precision applications, with product lines analogous to ThinBIT's MICROBIT® and LITTLEBIT® portfolios. Targets similar machine shop and Swiss screw machine customers.
• Tungaloy: Global manufacturer of turning, grooving, milling, and threading inserts, with established small-diameter and Swiss machining offerings that overlap directly with ThinBIT's catalog.
• Allied Machine & Engineering: Specialty manufacturer of indexable drilling, boring, and threading tooling with strong presence in boring — directly competing with MINI-BORE® and threading lines in the same customer base.

Broad incumbents

• ISCAR (IMC Group): One of the world's largest metalworking tool manufacturers, offering a comprehensive cutting tool portfolio across grooving, turning, milling, drilling, and tooling systems. Competes with ThinBIT especially on Swiss screw machine and grooving applications.
• Walter Tools: Premium precision tooling brand (part of the United Grinding Group) specializing in turning, grooving, and threading — a direct technical competitor across ThinBIT's core catalog.
• Sandvik Coromant: Global market leader in metal cutting, offering tooling, tooling systems, and digital machining solutions. Sets industry standards that smaller specialists like ThinBIT must meet across grooving and threading categories.
• Kennametal: Publicly traded industrial toolmaker with broad metalworking portfolio including turning, grooving, threading, and milling. Sells through the same industrial distribution channels as ThinBIT and is the most visible large-scale competitor.

Others

• Star CNC (Star Micronics / Swiss Machines): Swiss-type lathe machine builder whose installed base creates pull-through demand for ThinBIT-style cutting tools. Strategic alignment exists through joint end-customers even though Star is a machine builder, not a tool maker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thinbit
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/KaiserThinbit
• Facebookfacebook.com/thinbitkaisertoolcompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thinbit%C2%AE
• Instagraminstagram.com/thinbit_kaiser_tool_company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ThinBIT