Conventional: Milling in which the cutter rotates in the direction opposing the feed at the point of contact and the rotation of the end mill opposes the direction of the work piece feed. When conventional milling the chip goes from thin to thick. Cutting forces tend to lift the work piece.
In today's more rigid, backlash free machines, climb milling can be used for
most milling applications and is the preferred method. In conventional milling
the sliding action created as the chip goes from thin to thick dulls the cutter
rapidly and creates increased heat in the cutting zone. Work hardening of the
surface is much more pronounced under these conditions, especially with
stainless steels and high temp alloys. When climb milling the cut starts at full
chip thickness without the initial rubbing action, thus cutting temperatures are
reduced. This reduces the work hardening effect, and substantially improves
cutter life. Re-cutting of chips is less of a problem because chips pile up
behind the cutter rather than in front of it. Dimensional and finish
requirements of the work piece are usually much improved when climb milling.
Conventional milling will usually produce better cutter life in work pieces
with hard and highly abrasive surfaces, since the cutting edge engages the work
below the abrasive surface. This protects the edges by allowing them enter on a
clean surface.
As a follow up to last weeks tip regarding HSS
thread milling, some have asked for a speed and feed chart to cover those,
e-mail me and I will send as an excel attachment.
Thanks and a
gift to Brian Baker and Mike Colwell for suggesting this topic.
If you suggest a topic for a future tip, and we use it, we will send you a
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mailto:don.dejarnette@gfii.com
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