Roughing Aluminum?

[Bruce Kanzelmeyer]

Anyone have suggestions for roughing 6061 T6 aluminum? I need to rough more than 50% volume of a 20" x 32" x 8" thick billet. We have a low end CAT40 10,000 RPM Haas-VF5. What are best cutters to use w/8"+ tool extension and what kind of feeds and speeds vs. depth and stepover to get best and fastest material removal. Thanks for any advice.

[b_daddy]

Bruce,

 

Check out this thread and see if this helps at all

 

High Feed Cutters

[Guest]

Check with Stellram Tools and Techniks holders.

[jrauch]

What kind of indexable tooling do you have?? I know in the past we have used the same feed mills we cut tool steel with and were able to almost double the speed and feed but even though its indexable we had to run coolant so the inserts wouldnt load up on us.

[RandleXX]

Check out the Mitsubishi BDX 4000

Fast and cheap!!!

 

Eats Aluminum like butter.

[Mark Graham]

Bruce

We use a lot of Carbaloy high speed routers at 10000 rpms,150 ipm w/50 to 75% stepover.Take about .150" depth per pass.We have Fadal & Haas 40 taper machines w/15 hp.We have been running the 30 hp. horiz. Haas machines at up to 300 ipm.w/thru spindle coolant.The Carboloy inserts are high polished & don't get any build up on them.There are other manufacturers making these types of tools.We just got started using carboloy & stuck with them.Good luck

Mark Graham

Austin Machine

[b_daddy]

Bruce,

I see my link doesn't work because obviously I don't know how to add the link for the Thread page. But if you do a search for "High Feed Cutters" there was a discussion on just this such topic. We use Iscar Helialu cutters here and they rip.

[crazy^millman]

http://www.ingersollcuttingtools.com/catal...cro_BRO-027.pdf

 

Look here that many extenstion avaiable for these cutters. Currently running one 5.8 outof the holder at 11,000 rpms at 200 ipm .075 doc.

 

HTH

[Rekd™]

Hannita Varimill

[Surface]

I have been using A.B. Tool's Shearhog in my 40 taper with excelent results. You can push these untill you run out of horsepower.

[Saultspics]

We use Carbaloy's Aluminum Cavity Mill in our Haas VF6 30HP 10000 RPM 250 to 300 IMP at 50 to 75% step over .150 deep. The 8"+ extension could cause you some problems. I would rough as much as possible with a shorter tool then go with the long reach. When you extend out that distance chatter can be a problem. Watch out for the chips they could cause you trouble if you are cutting pockets that deep. Also watch your machine's spendle load.

 

Iscar has some similar tools that looks good for aluminum.

[elbro]

+1 to Surface just don't use the 1.25 shear hog. I only get about 5000 lbs of meterial removed before the cutter breaks in half. Also MA Ford 135 series. We have 2 Haas VF10 40 taper 15000 rpm with 20 HP. We use a .375 dia. cutter .3 deep 12500 rpm feed of 360 ipm (i can't get the machine to go any faster in the feed). Also a 3/4 dia end mill .25 deep 290 ipm 10000 rpm.

[Bruce Caulley]

Iscar helialu. we run up to 25000 rpm and 10m/min with 6-8mm doc. Makes a noise like a machinegun when the chips hit the guards. I personally can't see the benefit of high feed cutters in ally.

 

Bruce

[c-hook]

When ever I am working on a hog out, I use a 1" dia HSS 2 flute. 6000 rpm .500 doc. 70 ipm. .750 ste[ over, ..........works great.

[Bruce Caulley]

HSS? Do they still make that stuff?

[Guest]

quote:

---

HSS? Do they still make that stuff?

---

I hate to admit this.

 

On some of the deeper stuff I do, I have actually found that a 3FL 1.0Ø HSS endmill, in a CAT 40 taper machine, behaves better than carbide. You don't have the chatter problems that an inherent in this setup. The HSS endmill is more forgiving than the carbide.

[DavidB]

I use Sandvik RMR solid carbide cutters Dia 20mm. 10mm deep and 10mm stepover 20000 RPM and 12M/Min.

[Joels]

i use 3/4 diameter roughing endmills from J&L. I go .75 deep at 6000 rpm on a fadal 4020. never a problem. tried coolant thru the spindle but the machine kept leaking from the spindle on to the spindle belts otherwise i would go deeper and faster.

[wildpair]

ingersoll 12s1q1080r01cutter

1" dia 10000 rpm .250 deep 100ipm with 75% step over. running on a cms router.

[Namliek_J@TheeCircle™]

I like using a K-Tool Carbide Insert Endmill with through spindle coolant, I have an .870 diameter tool I have used these cutters a lot in aluminum.. On your machine I would run about all 10000 RPM and program for 100 to 125 inches a minute. Just make sure you predrill for your tool if it plunges into the material.

[wildpair]

doing some testing today with a mitsubishi bxd40000r162sa16s this is a awesome little cutter. .200 deep 12000 rpm 240ipm 1" dia. lets the chips roll. mitsubishi makes some nice insert tooling. also got a good warenty with them

[Nick_AFRL]

me i hate 6061, my last base i made parts for F-15s they were all 7075-T7351 but anyways, here all we cut is 6061 using valenite v590 indexable mills.

[heavychevy2155]

that must really suck cutting all that alum. all I seem to get is 304l stainless, wish I could cut some alum. from time to time.

[Michael Matthews]

Iscar makes a Multi-Master interchangeable tooling system that has long reach and sum wicked production rates. These mills have cured more than one headache for me. You may also want to check Dapra they have some long reach tooling that does a nice job also. There ball nose inserts with chip brake do an awesome job. They also have a ball nose feed and speed calculator that I wouldn't live with out. Both have web sites.