Beginner question on SFM

Beginner question on SFM

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  • #7244
    David Cambridge
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      @davidcambridge45658

      Beginner question on SFM

      #158296
      David Cambridge
      Participant
        @davidcambridge45658

        Good Morning All

        As a complete beginner I’ve been looking at speed and feed charts for HSS end mills on aluminium and there seems to be range of SFM quoted – anything from 150 to 400 depending on which google link I follow, which alloy I look at, and who makes the cutting tool. If I base my calculation on a 6mm end mill and speed of 400 SFM then I get (12 * 400)/(pi * 6 * 0.0393) = ~6500 RPM and that’s massively in excess of the RPM range of my mill. Conversely If I pick 150 SFM and a 12 mm end mill I get (12 * 150)/(pi * 12 * 0.0393) = ~1200 RPM.

        My question is therefore are my calculations correct , and if I buy a block of say 6082 aluminium (from aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk) what SFM has the voice of experience shown to work well ?

        Thanks in advance,

        David

        #158300
        Anonymous

          The short answer is that it doesn't really matter, especially for 6082, which is easy-peasy. As you have discovered most manual mills simply don't have the speed range to cut at the recommended sfm. The last time I used a HSS rippa mill on 6082 I ran at 3000rpm and a 900mm/min feedrate.

          However, if you're not using flood coolant then all bets are off, as the limiting factor will be clogging of the flutes by swarf rather than cutting speeds or feeds. With that in mind use a 2 or 3 flute slot drill, as the flutes are larger and less likely to get clogged. This is the result if it goes pear-shaped:

          clogged cutter.jpg

          Note the 4 flutes, and no coolant, equals a hammer to get the swarf out and a cutter regrind. crying 2

          Regards,

          Andrew

          #158302
          Clive Foster
          Participant
            @clivefoster55965

            For what its worth my handy dandy Osborn Mushet slide calculator gives 4750 rpm with 345 mm / min feed for 4 flute end mils and 180 mm / min feed for slot drills brass and aluminium.

            On the Bridgeport I usually halve the speeds and run at one third feed rates which seems to work OK without burying me in chips. I run a Bjur spray mist set-up unless doing very light cuts when the mess hardly seems worth it. Full flood on a mill is for fully enclosed systems in my view.

            Don't forget that you have to make milling cutters cut and that, within reason, lifetime is proportionate to number of passes so you will get twice the number of jobs taking 3 mm bites than you will taking 1.5 mm ones. Quickest way to clog a cutter is itsy-bitsy-teensy weeny cuts and, with a four flute cutter, trying to go too wide. Not only do tiny chips melt not the cutter and clog up easily they also get recut spoiling the finish. The quarter diameter cut limit on end mills is there for a reason. Any wider and the chips can't properly throw clear as they are cut.

            A simple slide type card, or plastic, speed and feed calculator like mine would be a nice magazine freebee. Much easier for the less experienced to look up and tweak values to suit their machine than to calculate or extrapolate from a graph. Hint. Hint.

            Clive

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