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Milling Slots
vtsteam:
Great to read this variety of working solutions! :ThumbsUp: :cheers:
Jasonb:
--- Quote from: Charles Lamont on January 19, 2023, 10:36:12 PM ---"stepover" = climb milling?
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No "Stepover" is the amount the work or cutter is moved sideways per pass
In that example I had a 6mm slot that needed enlarging to 8mm so that is 1mm per side. Work was centered then I used a stepover( or Ae, sideways DOC, etc) of 0.8mm followed by stepping over again 0.2mm for the finish cut.
Job was on the manual mill which I don't tend to climb cut on very much.
Had I been doing the slots on the CNC than I would have climb cut it all but taken a very different approach to the tool path. Though in a way a similar principal of using the smaller cutter to give a small cutter engagement rather than just ploughing up and down with a full width cutter.
This is the outer slot that that part fitted into, first remove the bulk by having the 6mm cutter move down in a helical pattern until it is right through the work as this is easier on the cutter than just plunging in, then it moves in a series of arcs with a depth of cut no greater than 0.6mm (10% cutter dia) This is a roughing operation so I left 0.3mm all round for clean up.
Then the same cutter goes round the perimeter to finish the cut in two passes, one of 0.2mm and then stepping over a further 0.1mm for the final cut.
All cutting movements are climb milling, I could set it to do conventional or "both ways" but find it is happier climb milling.
vtsteam:
--- Quote from: crueby on January 19, 2023, 07:19:49 PM ---
--- Quote from: internal_fire on January 19, 2023, 07:10:58 PM ---
--- Quote from: vtsteam on January 19, 2023, 06:20:34 PM --- I'm going to stick with the end mill plunge method.
--- End quote ---
Something I have done a few times is to chain drill first with a smaller drill and then follow with an endmill plunge. Most endmills are much happier using a starter hole when plunging.
Gene
[I see Chris beat me by 31 seconds. :Lol: ]
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I guess I must type just that little bit faster! :Lol:
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Actually, reading again carefully what you two described, they are different methods (I think). Chris is chain drilling and then plunge milling out material between the drilled holes, And I believe Gene is saying drill smaller holes where you will be plunging a larger milling cutter to make that plunge easier.
I think I'm going to try some of the described methods with the 1/2" steel plate and a 3/8" mill to try to find what works easiest for my machine and this material. That would give me a personal best method for similar situations.
internal_fire:
--- Quote from: vtsteam on January 20, 2023, 01:51:45 PM ---Actually, reading again carefully what you two described, they are different methods (I think). Chris is chain drilling and then plunge milling out material between the drilled holes, And I believe Gene is saying drill smaller holes where you will be plunging a larger milling cutter to make that plunge easier.
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You may have noticed that I said "a few times". :)
I almost always use the same method outlined by Jason. Far more reliable for accurate dimensions.
Gene
vtsteam:
I did see that Gene, and just thought it was a good general tip for plunging mills into difficult material with a light mill.
As far as accuracy goes, I would think any roughing method that allows enough material for two final passes to clean up the sides of the slot will have the same accuracy.
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