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Inconel


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  • 1 month later...
9 minutes ago, mkd said:

ever tried solid ceramic?

me neither

We tried them here a couple of times.

Metal removal rates were fantastic, but tool life was about 2 minutes.

You need to break your toolpaths into 120 second segments, have 5 or 6 identical cutter bodies set up,

a squad of low rent helpers changing inserts, and a Bill Gates sized bank account.

To make matters worse, the swarf is a fine abrasive dust that will destroy a machine tool in short order.

I know there are shops using ceramics successfully, but I have no idea how they are doing it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

1 hour ago, 5th Axis CGI said:

Thanks! I'll pass that along to the guy who handles all the billet inconel. I get all the weird $hit - formed sheet metal, weldments, etc.

Finding that the more aggressive helix angles kill the tools when machining sheet - causes more vibration because it's lifting more than a low helix tool. When I get around to it, I've got some reverse helix tools to try out. See if pushing the sheet down into the fixture will help with MRR and tool life.

 

3 hours ago, mkd said:

Friend just sent me a video of cutting inconel with ceramics. 15+ minutes of life.

Yep... until one of the guys on the floor decides that he can try to run the program faster by turning on coolant, and that thing will explode like a grenade.

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On 1/14/2019 at 3:26 PM, Ewood42 said:

 

Yep... until one of the guys on the floor decides that he can try to run the program faster by turning on coolant, and that thing will explode like a grenade.

I heard one story from a tooling rep where a shop using the ceramics couldn't figure out why their tool life was inconsistent. Turned out it was occasional drips from residual coolant in the coolant nozzles that ended up being the culprit. They ended up having to add a blow off cycle before running the ceramics. 

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  • 2 years later...
On 1/14/2019 at 4:26 PM, Ewood42 said:

Finding that the more aggressive helix angles kill the tools when machining sheet - causes more vibration because it's lifting more than a low helix tool. When I get around to it, I've got some reverse helix tools to try out. See if pushing the sheet down into the fixture will help with MRR and tool life.

@Ewood42 Did you ever find a good tool for cutting Inconel sheet? We have some 0.063" 625 we need to cut.

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When I worked in tooling, we used to grind those 6$ cement drills and use them to drill heat treated tool steel.

Maybe that could provide you a low budget solution for dealing with this stuff .

 

2 hours ago, So not a Guru said:
On 2/12/2021 at 10:15 AM, crazy^millman said:

Waterjet it close and then finish the edges an option?

We're going to give this a try. I'm thinking of leaving 0.06" on the blank & using a 5 flute 1/4" endmill to finish.

 

1 hour ago, cncappsjames said:

You want to make sure you leave enough to "cut" or for the tool to actually bite into. Don't and you risk some VERY unfavorable cutting conditions that you may only be able to grind, EDM, or ceramic tool your way out of.

I haven't cut this stuff with hss or carbide, but I'm thinking the sfm is going to be very low.

 

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On 2/12/2021 at 5:35 AM, So not a Guru said:

@Ewood42 Did you ever find a good tool for cutting Inconel sheet? We have some 0.063" 625 we need to cut.

I ended up using a a helical endmill, don't recall exact series. I think it was called a "Prototyp" but when I search that it comes up with a walter tool. The tool rep (Chris Mason from walter) that was supplying it did specify that they were still in prototyping stages and it's designation may change later.

Ended up using a 6 flute tool, approx 5 deg postive rake, low helix (I think it was 25 deg). It worked better in that specific application because the part didn't allow for anything but questionable work holding, and the material was flapping in the breeze. The sharper tool and lower helix reduced the vibration, which seemed to be the worst for the tool life and edge finish.

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2 hours ago, So not a Guru said:

I'm curious if this was because they happened to have a low helix angle.

It was a hertl brand double-ended stub. It was doing a good amount of roughing but compared to CID and imco it lasted longer. It obviously cut slower but it was a first run of a part.

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