Recommend Me Some Speeds/Feeds/Tooling for Tungsten

[Rekd™]

I've never machined it but I hear it chips like graphite or acrylic so particular attention should be paid to approach/exit strategy.

 

What kind of tooling? Speeds/feeds (if running on a HAAS type machine)?

 

Much appreciated.

[Leigh @ Kodiak]

If it is just a one off, I'm sure you can get by with a general purpose coated carbide endmill. Of course speeds and feeds depend on tool size, but I would definitely use dynamic or peel milling to help prevent any chipping of the material. 300 SFM is a good starting point, but thats going to change drastically once you start using chip-thinning type tool paths.

[Rekd™]

If it is just a one off, I'm sure you can get by with a general purpose coated carbide endmill. Of course speeds and feeds depend on tool size, but I would definitely use dynamic or peel milling to help prevent any chipping of the material. 300 SFM is a good starting point, but thats going to change drastically once you start using chip-thinning type tool paths.

 

We use hundreds of these a year. Possibly thousands. 300 SFM is better than I thought but it's going to eat tooling like candy.

 

What about inserts? I wouldn't think they would play nice with tungsten, but I don't know.

 

Thanks for the help.

[WH6VL]

We cut tungsten quite a bit. I run it using standard Tialn coated carbide endmills. Our parts are somewhat large for tungsten most have been in 6" dia range x 12" long. I run it at 150sfm .002 base chip load on 1" tool. I usually step down at 40% of tool dia and will do full slotting. I must also mention that all of our machines are cat 50 machines but so long as you have a decent setup going on you should be ok on a 40.

It won't chip the material at these rates and I have never had a problem with chipping. The chips break up in your hand somewhat like cast chips but alot harder.

 

I use garr 1280h drills at 115 sfm at conventional chip loads for approiate size of drill.

 

300 sfm will eat tools for breakfast all day long on tungsten. 150 you will get decent life out of your tools.

[Bruce Caulley]

Matt,

I did post some actual speeds and feeds from a job ages ago, but can't find it. From memory I used Iscar ADKT 15 inserts with a 2mm corner, garr 830RA with same corner, and used similar speeds and feeds to duplex 2205. There was some drilling also, but can't remember that far back.

 

HTH

 

Bruce