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Called BS on a guy claiming his roughing feeds were twice mine...
This older machinist at the shop next door swore he was running 150 IPM on a 1/2 inch end mill in 6061, and I figured he was just blowing smoke. Last month he let me watch him do a job and it was legit, his machine sounded like a monster but the cycle time was half of what mine is. What was the trick or tool that made you eat your words on something in this trade?
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derekjenkins18d ago
Nah, I gotta push back on this one a little. That guy's feeds are probably just gonna wreck his tooling over time, and he's not telling you about the resharpening costs or the broken inserts. I've seen guys chase cycle time like it's the only thing that matters, then they burn through a $200 end mill every 20 parts because they're pushing it that hard. Sure, the chips fly nice and the job looks impressive, but when you factor in tool life and machine maintenance, running at 150 IPM on a half inch end mill is usually a race to the bottom, not a profit maker.
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Man, that's exactly how it goes in every part of life, not just machining. People get so focused on one number they forget the whole picture, like the gym guy who only cares about how much he benches but has terrible form and hurts his shoulders. It's the same thing here, chasing cycle time without counting tool cost and downtime is just borrowing from your future to look good right now.
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