X3 cutting capacities?

[JMcDonald]

What kind of cuts can an X3 take in steels with, say, a 1/2" end mill? Just trying to get a feel for what I will probably end up buying in the next week or so, heh.



Future search terms:
G0463 , Cutting , Depth , Steel , Mild , 93885




P.S. Sorry to have started so many different threads! Ive done tons of searching, and have only been asking what I truely couldn't find. Plus, they are all pretty different topics, and to aid in future searching, I figured it would be best to keep them separate.

[cjdavis618]

I have done mostly aluminum on my x3 so far. But the couple of pieces that I did cut mild steel was about .040 and .050 doc a pass. This was full width of cut on a 3/4" 4 flute endmill. Tin coated. I think the rpm was about 450-500

I didn't have any problems with stress and I only needed .060 off total so I didn't get to crank it up. I need to make some new brackets for my tractors front end loader soon, so I can report back when I start them. I would guess that about .100 would be max and that I could get 10-15 ipm out of that size cut.

I have done .050 doc with the x2 mill and a 1/2" 4 flute endmill without any problems. Obviously that was a rough cut. I would rather compromise between really fast small cuts vs deep slow cuts. I just take the middle ground.



Don't worry about asking questions. It is good that you have done your homework. We can tell by the questions you have asked. It is easy to see that you are going to enjoy this machine and put it to work.

[JMcDonald]

Thanks alot . This mill, after I get everything sorted out, will be the workhorse of my business. As I mentioned in my other thread, I am tring to get a nice CNC setup going so that I can take my business from hand-made products and custom fabrication, to almost entirely machine-made products. This so I can concentrate more on school.

[neilw20]

I can't wait to put a big indexable cutter in mine.
1000W spindle Run it fast, make lots of thin blue chips with inserts.
Love using solid carbide too. Use the right tools and you will be happy.
If you stick the cutter out a long way, you need to back off.
I have ER32 Collet in R8 spindle. (and a set of er11 goes down to 0.5mm)
Keep the quill in and locked, then sprays hot chips!

[cjdavis618]

Exactly, I was using a stubby 3/4 on this one. If I remember right it may have even been a rougher on the first pass.

I always keep the quill locked in it's fully retracted position, unless I am milling pockets or something that might interfere with the safety cover. Other than that, I use the most rigidity that I can.

I'm sure the RF45 is much more machine, but with the CNC options and size of the sx3, I feel it is a much more effective and cost effective machine to buy and convert. I'm kinda biased though.

It may seem backwards on the sx3, but the main column head increments at .0005 on the main column and then the quill moves .001 a step. It is really a solid machine for the money. I kinda wished I'd bought the plain x3 for the CNC and then a super x3 for tapping and manual jobs. I still have the x2 for quick work, but may someday get a bigger mill. Like a bridgeport or a Hf-52 type mill for bigger work.

You wouldn't believe how much bigger the x3 is from the x2 when side by side. lol

[wwendorf]

I just did some cuts with a 9/16" - 4 flute endmill in aluminum last night. I was taking .10" deep cuts. I did have my coolant running (I use the fog buster on a VERY fine spray). I was running 3400 RPMS. I managed to crank it up to 9 inches per minute, but I felt more comfortable at 6 ipm.

It was giving me real nice cuts. I think I need a new endmill tho. I'm going to have to try something other than HSS TIN coated however. I clogged this one before I get the coolant system and it's a bit dull. I think with a carbide endmill I could cut somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-12ipm.

Wade

[JMcDonald]

Yeah, I plan on building a flood coolant system (maybe also with compressed air if the enclosure ends up nice enough) for whatever mill I get. Coolant really is invaluable. Who knew that with coolant, a 10 dollar bandsaw blade would last months at a time with daily or almost-daily use on a 7 x 12 bandsaw, while 15 dollar Bi-metal blades wear out in a few days of the same use on a portable bandsaw! I am hoping that it will not only vastly increase tool life, but also allow (significantly?) harder/faster/deeper cuts. Where important, I would finish the piece with a light pass (or few passes), but being that this will be for light production, speed will be valuable.

[quicksilver02]

Originally Posted by wwendorf I just did some cuts with a 9/16" - 4 flute endmill in aluminum last night. I was taking .10" deep cuts. I did have my coolant running (I use the fog buster on a VERY fine spray). I was running 3400 RPMS. I managed to crank it up to 9 inches per minute, but I felt more comfortable at 6 ipm. It was giving me real nice cuts. I think I need a new endmill tho. I'm going to have to try something other than HSS TIN coated however. I clogged this one before I get the coolant system and it's a bit dull. I think with a carbide endmill I could cut somewhere in the neighborhood of 9-12ipm. Wade

Try using a 2 flute cutter with aluminum. It will do a better job of ejecting chips than a 4 flute.

-Nate

[JMcDonald]

I have simple 6-piece 2-flute end mill set (1/8 - 1/2", 3/8" shank) from LMS. Would I bet better off with 4-flute end mills for steel, saving the 2-flute ones for Aluminum?

[cjdavis618]

You would use the 2 flute in aluminum to remove lots of material fast. Once that is done, switch to your 4 flute for the finishing pass (if needed). I run the finishing pass 1/3 the ipm to make sure the chips clear but use the same rpm.

As for steel, 4 flute all the time for me. I also have different endmill sets for both materials. I do not use the same endmills for both materials. I have no reason for this other than preference, and that I had more than one endmill set in some tooling I bought.

What was said about the indexable mills is right on. If you have ever used the good, indexable tooling on a lathe with steel,...... there is no doubt it would be excellent on a mill as well.

[jdchmiel]

same JMcDonald from the MR2 boards?

[JMcDonald]

Yup.