Any advice on how to manage/monitor and evaluate tool life effectively for a milling operation? We are milling the same part from the same material (cast iron) in the same heat treated condition with similar hardness . The cutting conditions remain the same with the exception of the width of cut. are mill are no older then 5 year old and some are new in 2007. I hope this is a better question. I'm looking to have some thing the operator can do a check off as they change tools.

Is the tool coated? Are you running dry or flooded? I would make a chart noting surface speed, chipload and depth of cut/ number of passes. Evaluate the edges of worn tools and note it on the spreadsheet. Increasing chipload and depth of cut can increase tool life becuase you are taking less swipes to get it done. That is maximized when you start chipping the insert of cutting edges. If you wrote me with the operation you were doing, I could be more specific. What hardness is this cast iron?

Dave