Emco endmills vs Hannita Varimill

[R. Van Winkle]

Rep was in today from Emco trying to sell us their IP series EMs. I was relating an experience I had with Hannita Varimills over a decade ago and how they were some of the toughest endmills I'd ever used. He laughed and said he knows Jonathan (I affectionately refer to him as Doctor Mengele because of how he mangled metal) and that his IP series endmills will mill circles around the varimills. Has anyone here used both and can you validate that claim?

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

Have the rep put up a cutter for a side by side test if he's so sure.  Happily running Helical's here.

[Leon82]

We use CID jhh series a lot

[#Rekd™]

Matthew which Helicals are you using on SS? I want to try some. 

[R. Van Winkle]

That's what we're going to do. He's going to bring a few different types. Mayhaps I should have Dr. Mengele come in on the same day to go to bat for the Varimills, just to make it even. 

[dstryr]

Varimills are junk since they switched to the sub par blanks and widia > kennemetal ownership

Back in 2008 they were the xxxx though.

 

[nickbe10]

For REKD

HST 3 flute and HSV 3 and 4 flutes.

HST for rigid machine / setups and traditional machining (good chip clearance for monster chips).

HSV works better for less rigid systems, HF toolpaths (4 flute option)

And of course there is just personal preference for the variable helix.

These are great tools and actually we use them for roughing Al as well. One of our machinists has had one in his machine for a year and still going strong.

It's the consistency of Helicals I really like. You can set your watch by them. And that's important for hard metals so you can swap them out before they chip.

[Matthew Hajicek - Singularity]

16 hours ago, #Rekd™ said:

Matthew which Helicals are you using on SS? I want to try some. 

The one I use most is a .375 x .75 7-FLUTE HEV-SR-70375-R.020, following the parameters from the Helical Milling Advisor.  Now using a Haimer shrink fit holder, torch applied.

[mkd]

had a Varimill running a SS job circa 2005. It lasted the entire job, so i asked the distributor about a lease option.

[R. Van Winkle]

On 5/19/2017 at 11:56 AM, mkd said:

had a Varimill running a SS job circa 2005. It lasted the entire job, so i asked the distributor about a lease option.

Varimill rental program FTW!!!

[Mr. M]

We run Imco endmills in steel and stainless and historically the only trouble with them has been stock issues. Supposedly that is fixed now and they can keep up with demand.