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Need advice on face mill

jdholbrook33

Plastic
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Location
Houston, Texas
Recently we've been doing a part that is 1.5" wide and using a 2" face mill to bring it down to thickness.
I'm dissatisfied with the surface finish so tried different inserts, different feeds and speeds. No help.
Then I started checking the face mill and found that from high tooth to low tooth is 0.002".
I picked it up some years ago, it's a no name brand and don't remember where it came from.
It uses APMT inserts and I like it because I could get DLC coated inserts which hold up well machining C101 copper.

So now I'm on a hunt for a 2" facemill that is better than 0,002" and also accepts DLC, PCD or other diamond insert.
What surface finish do I need? Well, mirror smooth would be perfect but I'll take anything that is at least smooth. Right now the ridges are so big I can feel them with my finger.
When I slow the feeds down I get a strange pattern that I attribute to my machine not being very rigid. I have to feed it a little on the fast side to keep the facemill under pressure so that it cuts on only one side.
Machine is a 2017 VF2.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance
 
There's gonna be half a dozen or more suggestions, for the most part, facemills are the same, unless you want to also try different insert styles.

With that said, we use Iscar facemills for the style of insert you said you use. They are fine, nothing extraordinary.

The only reason I am replying is that when I want to get a real good finish on a piece of aluminum using a diamond insert, I only use 1 insert and don't have to worry about the other inserts standing proud of each other. You have to go a little slower but you will get a nice finish. Makes it into a flycutter.

And just a thought about your "strange pattern", are you sure that your spindle is trammed?
 
Sandvik makes their RA590 series cutters. Each pocket is adjustable so that each insert can be brought all to the same height. Extremely good surface finish. I use a 3" version for all of my Aluminum work.

Paul
 
Recently we've been doing a part that is 1.5" wide and using a 2" face mill to bring it down to thickness.
I'm dissatisfied with the surface finish so tried different inserts, different feeds and speeds. No help.
Then I started checking the face mill and found that from high tooth to low tooth is 0.002".
I picked it up some years ago, it's a no name brand and don't remember where it came from.
It uses APMT inserts and I like it because I could get DLC coated inserts which hold up well machining C101 copper.

So now I'm on a hunt for a 2" facemill that is better than 0,002" and also accepts DLC, PCD or other diamond insert.
What surface finish do I need? Well, mirror smooth would be perfect but I'll take anything that is at least smooth. Right now the ridges are so big I can feel them with my finger.
When I slow the feeds down I get a strange pattern that I attribute to my machine not being very rigid. I have to feed it a little on the fast side to keep the facemill under pressure so that it cuts on only one side.
Machine is a 2017 VF2.

Any advice?

Thanks in advance

.
material being milled
sfpm
ipt
DOC
insert type
sometimes going high sfpm it gets shiny, sometimes slow sfpm is better cause of vibration
.
wiper mill usually works better for better finish. thats one insert sticking out .001 or .002 at a low angle to smooth out the ridges
 
I'm with Curtis. But I also consider different Mills, different materials, different applications, different Size facemills. It is nice to buy 100 inserts that fit every facemills, shoulder Mill, plunge Mill in the shop. If you're careful you can do that with Iscar and Sandvick.

But the Ripper is a naughty, naughty Tool.

R
 
Sandvik makes indexable facemills with the RA245 inserts that have "sweeper". You buy one different insert that has a long edge on the face side that is also about .002" proud of the other inserts.

Also double check speeds / feeds, insert condition and even that the spindle is square to the table. Posting a pic of the issue might help.
 








 
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