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Machining Copper tungsten
- Thread starter HSM_CHIEF
- Start date
- Replies 7
- Views 9,836
mhajicek
Diamond
- Joined
- May 11, 2017
- Location
- Maple Grove, MN, USA
I cut some of that several years ago. IIRC I treated it like a hard steel. Be careful of your cut directions on exits though, as it can chip out.
SteveinAZ
Stainless
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2007
- Location
- Snowy Arizona
It machines very easy, more like cast iron if you ask me, but hold onto your shorts when it comes to tool wear, makes hardened 17-4 and 15-5 seem like presoftened butter.
You can get great finishes and hold dimensions well, but holding the dims becomes difficult just due to wear.
Steve
You can get great finishes and hold dimensions well, but holding the dims becomes difficult just due to wear.
Steve
Conrad Hoffman
Diamond
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
- Location
- Canandaigua, NY, USA
We recently machined some and the machinist said it turned very easily. Tapping it was a whole 'nuther story. We didn't have a lot of wall and it cracked. The tap also chipped. We ended up using aluminum inserts with Loctite, as the stresses were very low on the threads.
Milland
Diamond
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
- Location
- Hillsboro, New Hampshire
Thread milling is the way to go, just track wear on the edges and replace cutters before they get too dull.
William Ward
Cast Iron
- Joined
- Mar 28, 2003
- Location
- Upland, California,USA
It machines kinda like a harder cast aluminum. If the trode is not too big I use Harvey Amorphous Diamond coated endmills. They do last a lot longer than anything else. That said, as Milland and others have noted tool wear is an issue. I have picked out corners with an uncoated .005D x .046L flat endmill with good results but you really need to watch the wear.
I machine it dry with an air blast but the Makino apps guy recommends MQL for longer tool life and better finishes. I don't have flood coolant on the trode mill so air blast it is.
I machine it dry with an air blast but the Makino apps guy recommends MQL for longer tool life and better finishes. I don't have flood coolant on the trode mill so air blast it is.