Deburring dovetails??

rmccomb · Aug 21, 2017

I am currently cutting some 1/2" dovetails on 6061 aluminum with a 3/8" x 45 degree carbide dovetail cutter and I'm having some burrs on the entry and exit of the dovetails on the bottom most faces and the 45 degree surfaces. I am edge breaking the top edges of the dovetails but obviously I can't reach the other edges to deburr. I am trying to do this without moving the setup as 100% of the part is done in the same static setup. I have tried running along side them with an abrasive brush but it isn't strong enough to take the burrs off. Any suggestions on a tool that could work in this situation? I'm trying to set this up as a completely automated part, so doing them by hand isn't realistic with the run amount I have to do.
Anyway thanks in advance!

Shop Supply Guru · Aug 21, 2017

rmccomb said:
I am currently cutting some 1/2" dovetails on 6061 aluminum with a 3/8" x 45 degree carbide dovetail cutter and I'm having some burrs on the entry and exit of the dovetails on the bottom most faces and the 45 degree surfaces. I am edge breaking the top edges of the dovetails but obviously I can't reach the other edges to deburr. I am trying to do this without moving the setup as 100% of the part is done in the same static setup. I have tried running along side them with an abrasive brush but it isn't strong enough to take the burrs off. Any suggestions on a tool that could work in this situation? I'm trying to set this up as a completely automated part, so doing them by hand isn't realistic with the run amount I have to do.
Anyway thanks in advance!

How many radial passes are you making per side?

Freds · Aug 21, 2017

Can you just come back with your contouring endmill and make another finish pass around the part profile to knock off the burrs? Then the brush to do a last cleanup.

Fred

gkoenig · Aug 21, 2017

Freds said:
Can you just come back with your contouring endmill and make another finish pass around the part profile to knock off the burrs? Then the brush to do a last cleanup.

Yup. I deal with this on our ARCA plate dovetails by leaving the outside profile unfinished and cleaning it up after I do the dovetail.

Other option is fancy interpolation with a small lollypop deburr tool, but that gets hinky.

Shawnrs · Aug 22, 2017

can you provide a picture of the burrs? one idea is to run the endmill back over the areas you cut or use some type of 45 deg relieved back chamfering tool and hit the edges.

adama · Aug 22, 2017

Should be able to take the burrs of the 45 degree edge with the dovetail cutter, just programme a slight chamfer at entrance - exit of cut, may need to drop feed a bit, but then external profile after should clean it up.

G00 Proto · Aug 22, 2017

I fight this all the time as well with dovetails, key seat cutters, and corner round tools. Wherever they exit the part, they leave a difficult burr. When possible, I leave .010" on the OD and then take a clean up pass my finish endmill. Sometimes this isn't practical or possible. I think it is possible to deburr some of these complex geometry burrs with a lollipop cutter. I spent a couple of hours one time trying to make it look good on a dovetail. Turns out there is some math there that will instantly cause a migraine... but it is possible. I might go back and try again one of these days. I think that the some of the new surfacing routines in Mastercam with lollipop cutters will allow you to surface a uniform .015" chamfer on undercuts.

Until then I bought a special tool that does a pretty good job

SC8 - ADJUSTABLE SCRAPER By NOGA

rmccomb · Aug 22, 2017

G00 Proto said:
I fight this all the time as well with dovetails, key seat cutters, and corner round tools. Wherever they exit the part, they leave a difficult burr. When possible, I leave .010" on the OD and then take a clean up pass my finish endmill. Sometimes this isn't practical or possible. I think it is possible to deburr some of these complex geometry burrs with a lollipop cutter. I spent a couple of hours one time trying to make it look good on a dovetail. Turns out there is some math there that will instantly cause a migraine... but it is possible. I might go back and try again one of these days. I think that the some of the new surfacing routines in Mastercam with lollipop cutters will allow you to surface a uniform .015" chamfer on undercuts.

Until then I bought a special tool that does a pretty good job

SC8�� - ADJUSTABLE SCRAPER By NOGA

---

I figured doing a sort of arc lead in/lead out would maybe take care of the angled sides of the entry exit but it still wouldn't solve the bottom burr problem. I'm considering maybe some kind of dovetail shaped wire wheel to run a straight pass through but I'm not sure it would do much more than ruin my finish.
As far as using a chamfer tool, there isn't really a possibility to reach the areas in question simply by the nature of the dovetail shape. Pretty much every tool I have ran across looks like it would clip the corner of the dovetail and ruin the profile on each edge.
I don't really know how to post a picture here, if anyone could give me a heads up on that I will definitely get a picture for y'all

rmccomb · Aug 22, 2017

I figured doing a sort of arc lead in/lead out would maybe take care of the angled sides of the entry exit but it still wouldn't solve the bottom burr problem. I'm considering maybe some kind of dovetail shaped wire wheel to run a straight pass through but I'm not sure it would do much more than ruin my finish.
As far as using a chamfer tool, there isn't really a possibility to reach the areas in question simply by the nature of the dovetail shape. Pretty much every tool I have ran across looks like it would clip the corner of the dovetail and ruin the profile on each edge.
I don't really know how to post a picture here, if anyone could give me a heads up on that I will definitely get a picture for y'all

BALNH · Aug 23, 2017

The floor of the dovetail can be picked at with a double angle tool. Just stop it short of hitting the 45 of the dovetail. I have deburred a similar shape in mastercam using a lollipop and flowline toolpath.

Search

Largest Manufacturing Technology Community on the Web

Search

Deburring dovetails??

rmccomb

Plastic

Shop Supply Guru

Hot Rolled

Freds

Cast Iron

gkoenig

Titanium

Shawnrs

Stainless

adama

Diamond

G00 Proto

Hot Rolled

rmccomb

Plastic

rmccomb

Plastic

BALNH

Cast Iron

Similar threads