You got it....I'll report back on it.....

Just saw this topic come back up and on reading the title I couldn't help it ...

Several years back I was running a big job in our water-jet department.

Lot's of fairly large parts from 1-1/2" aluminum plate.

The parts needed to be deburred on the bottom and I wanted a file to do this with at/near the machine while I was running more parts.

Standard files would do a fair job of it ... until they loaded up.

So, I turned in a requisition to purchasing for some aluminum files.

(You can see it coming now, can't you?)

Two weeks later our purchasing agent called me into his office.

He explained to me that he had spent a great deal of time looking for them, but he just could NOT find ANY files made of aluminum!

He then wanted to know what aluminum files were good for any way ...

I told him not to worry about it as I had finished the job two days after I asked for the files anyway. :/

SO, I just GOT'S to ask ... who makes end-mills out of aluminum, and what can you cut with them?

LOL

How about: End-mills designed to cut non-ferrous material? Aluminum end mill seems a lot less wordy!

It's interesting this one poped up to the top again...just as I am finishing up a nice ally job. I looked back over Steet's info at the begining, and I guess that I'm not doing to badly after all. The job entails rouging off about 18 lbs per part, and I need about 3.25" reach, so I call Curtis up to try one of those 1" Ripper dudes...it didn't like me too well, but the feeling was pretty mutual, it buzzes like a chain saw. I believe a screw probably gave up the go (most likely loosened as one had become very slightly loose after the second part-It still was cutting after loosing a pocket and half an insert). But, since the big Toyoda doesn't feed all that fast, I went to a 0.225 doc and 66% step over at 240"/min...made it through quite a few before the big bang. On to plan B, one of the 'ol Cleveland PM plus aluminum roughers...1" x 3" 3 flute...change the post to 1.25" doc and 32% step over and the same 240"/min...now it's making some chips...no more than 84% on the load meter, and it's done in about 8 minutes with all the little noocks and crannies.

So the question is, at what point do you back off on the 1/2" cutter? Do you go off load, wait for the tool to break, get scared and just back off a bit?

I'd love to try a Destiny or Gorilla next go 'round, but I think a $300 test tool is a bit much. I think I'll try a 3" Ripper from Curtis to get the bulk off next time...need a good ally face mill anyway.

Steve

For me Steve, on a low powered Haas, I go off the load. These new tools can take .009 cpt or more in a full slot, and I don't think I ever got higher than .0045 (if I can recall). So I never had worries of the tool breaking; unless of course my spindle stalled and the machine kept feeding without the tool moving. That'd break it in short order.

Steve, if you're game we'll try this. I was talking to Guy at Destiny and he suggested you try this, max your rpm and work off of the load meter.
This is the one in Joe788's vid doing 672 ipm slotting.

Click on the "Diamond Back" tool in the menu
http://www.destinytool.com/

Steve, I'm not a fan of the 1 inch Ripper either(or any two flute large endmill for that matter). You never have more than one insert in the cut, so you get that bang..bang..bang as it's cutting (except much faster, so it sounds more like a MRAAAAAAAAAAAAA).

Try the two inch, 4 insert Ripper from Curtis. I have have the 3 incher, and a few of the two inch tools, and they are outstanding. They cut like butter. Much quieter than any endmill. Watch out though, those larger tools have a tendency to ruin the machine windows with chips. 3 inch at 14000rpm = 11000sfm = 125mph chip blizzard!

Joe thanks for the info...too late in some respects though.

Machine windows are pretty well toast...Sandvik 880 drills in steel are not too freindly on them either. I just assume they are a consumable also.

I do have a 3" Ripper here but having a difficult time finding a C50x 1" arbor x 2" gage TSC shell mill holder...1.75" or 4" seems to be the norm, and I need that little extra to get to the bottom of a feature. BTW the Toyoda has a 6k spindle and it doesn't feed real fast either (394in/min max - and not real smoothly), so have to do it the best I can with the toys at hand...with a 3" I can only get to 4700 sfm/53 mph (mild snow storm?), but may not be in the best torque curve of the motor anyway, then I probably can't feed it fast enough . I know I'll run out of ponies pretty soon anyway (only 25-cont/30-30min), just don't know hard to push the meter.


Curtis, I'll take TWO, FREE, DEMO, TRIAL Destiny e/m's - 1" x 3" - 0.125" corner, 3 flute, Stealth coated...V36448S if you need the p/n, just add the corner radius.. I'll even pick up shipping if the above terms in bold type are met.


Steve

Just FWIW, I made one out of a 1" end mill holder. I cut it to length, milled the drive lugs on the end, pressed a pilot in the 1" hole and secured it with the setscrews. The pilot was tapped for the bolt and had flats for the setscrews. Works fine for me.

Joe,
Did you see that 2" inserted end mill I had the inserts PCD tipped on in the "OD milling" thread? It sounded sweet for what little I could do with it until next week. I am really interested in seeing what I can get out of it.

Mud, the thru the tool coolant throws a wrench in the whole thing. I can find a ton of non tsc ones that gage just fine, but the tsc style is a bit more difficult. SOWA/GS' design with a 1" arbor is to use a 1/2-20 SHCS for retaining the face mill, but the end of the arbor is counterbored and has two or three ~3/32" holes running axially between the od of the arbor and the 1/2-20 threads. The Ripper face mill has one hole drilled from each insert pocket to the center arbor...not sure how much it will do for keeping things cool, but it does tend to help move the chips away from the cutting area!

Steve

Yeah that thing looks pretty wicked! Let us know how that one turns out.

I've been using a 1" ripper mill to make some Al parts that start out as 28 lb blocks and end up as 1 lb shells. I can run ~1900 SFM and 0.018 per tooth at 0.2" axial and 0.75" radial on a VF-1 at about 90-95% spindle load. The wall finish is crap, but I'm only roughing with it so it doesn't matter to me.

It's definitely loud, but not so loud that I'm afraid I'm breaking things.

Phew!! You've got the wrong machine for that job! How many of those babies are you doing?

I'm looking for writers for green cnc blog, email me.

The other unmentioned thing about the 1" Ripper I was using was I need it hanging out there quite a ways...3.25". Curtis was not real thrilled, but he has had others do it, just had to turn the OD down about 0.030" for an additional inch or so. I did throw it in a real stubby holder though! I was running at about 36% spindle load at max with the parameters above...only about 39.6 cu/min when it's actually running at programmed feed.

Steve

Only four pieces, luckily.

The ripper makes short work of the roughing, but the finishing takes quite some time.

Hey all,
This was a great thread but I have to say - its really not all about the tools, although they do have to be a good quality. The toolpath is whats more important - it drives the tool and the machine. Granted, higher the SFM in aluminum helps but seriously I have done some pretty incredible machining with Helical Solutions (www.1helical.com) a very well priced high quality tool on a HAAS VF3 Super at .027 clpt! Thats right.....1/2" 3-flute SC chip breaker "Uncoated" endmill / 12000 rpm/ 1000ipm / 1" adoc / .200 rdoc / 100 cu.in.min. / and the load meter stayed at under 20%.....this is the way to go! Check out the videos on their website and you will see some incredible machining!

sdt

Couple things here:

#1- It's obvious you work for Helical Solutions. People who are new to the internet forum world don't seem to realize that it only takes two clicks for any member to see ALL of your previous posts. When you have 5 posts and all 5 are spamming Helical Solutions, it sorta gives it away. Nobody minds a salesman here, but nobody likes a salesman pretending to be somebody else. Perhaps abandon your user name and sign up a new one as "Helical Solutions Guy".

#2- 1000ipm x .200 radial x 1.0 axial is 200 cubic inches per minute, not 100.

#3- Regardless of 200 c.i.m. or 100 c.i.m., there is absolutely no way either of those volumes were removed with a 20% spindle load on that machine. It's not possible.

^^Got to love bullshitting marketing men