How To Mill Slots In Steel
I've been milling some 1/4' wide slots in 1/4' thick mild steel and I'm trying to figure out the best method. These don't have to be exactly 1/4' wide since they are only for bolts so I have been using a 1/4' center cutting end mill and plunging the slotting. First try I plunged 1/3 depth then.
Drill a row of holes with the press and file the sides smooth. You may need a small chisel to knock out the remaining web so you can get the file in, but this is really a very fast way to get a through slot with minimal tooling. Endmill in a light duty drill press is a recipe for disaster, even just trying to plunge cut. Putting a 10 mm slot into some scrap hard steel to demonstrate how well milling can be carried out on a small lathe. The lathe is a 10 x 18 Chinese CQ9325.
The new solid carbide end mill from the GARANT MasterSteel product range offers 5 cutting edges and a new type of knuckle form profile, thereby achieving particularly high performance. The new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine from the Hoffmann Group is a solid carbide roughing end mill which achieves high feed rates when slot milling from solid in steel.
The innovative knuckle form profile produces extremely compact swarf. Therefore, the Hoffmann Group was able to construct the milling cutter with five cutting edges. As a result, at a constant feed rate per tooth the new five-edge end mill achieves 25 percent higher process efficiency than a classic four-edge end mill. Thanks to the innovative knuckle form profile, the cutting pressure is lower and higher feed rates can be obtained with a constant load. Due to the compact chips and the lower cutting forces, the new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine high-performance end mill is particularly suitable both for milling deep slots from solid and also for machining delicate components.
How To Mill Slots In Steel Toe Shoes
Based on its unusual geometry, the new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine solid carbide end mill produces chips that are very short, very fine and particularly tightly rolled. These are easily cleared by the flat chip-breaker recesses. The directional chip discharge increases the process reliability, the extremely sturdy core diameter the tool stability.
The GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine permits plunge angles up to ten degrees. The cutting edge design includes honing to minimise the risk of break-aways. The ultra-fine grain substrate greatly increases the resistance to breakage; whilst the enhanced coating also optimises the wear characteristics and reduces the rate of heat input. The unequal spacing ensures a smooth cutting action.
The new GARANT MasterSteel SlotMachine solid carbide end mill extends the GARANT MasterSteel product range, which currently includes the existing classic four-edge end mills and also the GARANT MasterSteel PickPocket universal end mill plus two solid carbide drills. With these the Hoffmann Group offers state-of-the-art high-performance tools for every application.
jmarkwolf
Active User
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2012
- Messages
- 459
How To Mill Slots In Steel Stock
I never paid much attention to how many flutes my end mills had, I just purchased what the local Production Tool Supply had on hand. The aluminum didn't seem to care.
I recently needed to cut a 1 -1/16in diameter counter bore 0.125in deep in some angle iron, to accommodate flush mounting some weld studs I fabricated. The only end mill I had was a 2-flute.
It did the job for me, but it 'chattered' to beat the band, even with flooding with oil. It seemed to like a faster feed rate as well.
Can anyone advise 'when and why' to use end mills with various numbers of flutes?