I am cutting signs & 3d relief panels into pine with a 1/8" inch end mill [ DW 660] . I would some advise on which sq end mill would be preferable . [ single flute 2 fluted etc ?? ] Also , these are my present settings and I would like comments on any changes that might be advisable .
Thanks - JOE
Single flute. Higher flute count = more spindle HP requirement + you must feed faster to maintain the same chip load. With machines like this that aren’t super rigid + have super high RPM spindles, you pretty much want to stick with the single flute.
Your feed rates look fine though. 900mm/min is just fine for a 1/8" tool. Depending on how much material you’re removing, you could certainly go faster.
Thanks Tim - I am cutting less than a 1/4 inch depth on each pass. I am interested in what you might consider a safe increase in feed rate over the 900 mm/mm . Thanks again , Joe
In the screenshots you sent you have a 3mm depth (0.12") and a 45% stepover. I think that’s a pretty good area to be in for those settings. What I was trying to say is if you are roughing out with the flat endmill then switching to a ball endmill, then you might consider going faster with the ball endmill because you’ve already removed most of the material with the FEM. Though you could still go faster with the FEM too, it just depends on your machine size, material, endmill quality, etc. You should experiment with it to find what’s best for you. Change 1 parameter at a time, note the results, change another parameter, note the results, etc. There’s no magic bullet number I can give you. I personally do use 900mm/min with a 1/8" tool even though I used to run at closer to 1500mm/min. I get slightly better results going that speed and I don’t mind the added time.
Hey Tim , Great ! l-- Thanks again for the comeback . Joe
Typically you are better off going deeper rather than faster. Either way allows for more material removed per second, but faster means more effect from start/stop acceleration/deceleration.
