3
Swapped my 1/4 end mill for a 3/8 on a aluminum job in Chicago last Thursday and cut cycle time by half
Used to think smaller tooling meant better finish till my coworker yelled at me to try the bigger one and the chips flew so clean the machine actually sounded happier, anyone else stick to old habits too long?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
thomas_martinez2d ago
Bigger cuts just feel right, chips flying beats baby steps any day, right?
1
xena12d ago
You're cutting cycle time by half? That's a big claim for just swapping end mills. Usually you'd need to tweak feeds and speeds too, not just the tool size. Running a 3/8 at the same RPM as a 1/4 means your surface speed jumps way up, which cooks the tool if you don't adjust. Maybe double check your chip load numbers next time you run that job to make sure you're getting the most out of that bigger cutter.
-1