Milling aluminum - newbie pointers - advice - ???

[radioactive]

Lots of valuable info guys, I appreciate all of it. I ordered a bunch of new tooling (Fullerton TiAlN coated carbide 2 flute and 4 flute) that hopefully will be here by this weekend so I can try some different things.

Next I need to get a flood coolant setup built...

[John Welden]

Like other have said, there are too many variables to sit here and tell you what to do.

6061 is very forgiving as far as feeds and speeds. If you're just tinkering around making your own stuff, take your time, play around and you'll figure it out. It isn't magic.

I quit using 2 flute endmills in aluminum years ago. 3 flute is the only way to fly, period. Trust me, you'll never go back.

[radioactive]

What's the advantage to 3 flute over 2 flute?

[John Welden]

I think 3 flutes is a nice compromise between 2 and 4. There is still enough clearance to get the chips out nicely and not load up.

You get a whole other flute to do work for you so they last longer.

And for whatever reasons, they resist chattering amazingly well. Slotting with those suckers is a real joy. (full width cutting) It will blow your mind how fast and deep you can go. Excellent surface finishes too.

They've really figured these things out in the past years with the fancy grinds and whatnot.

3 fluters allow me to get my job done faster and easier and that's all I really care about. Give them a try, you'll be sold. Most people carry them now days.

[Rally]

You should take a look at aluminum end mills. They are designed specifically for that Material.
You will find a lot of them use the 3 flute design.
And in my opinion! they leave a better Finnish on parts that are to be polished.

[mc-motorsports]

Except for high helix endmills for aluminum, those are meant for deep cuts, short step over. For slotting, you want a 30* helix, look into Gorilla Mills, thier primate series has something like a 40* helix and they chew right through aluminum.

Getting the chips out, spindle RPM, HP and ridgidity are your limiting factors.

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by radioactive Lots of valuable info guys, I appreciate all of it. I ordered a bunch of new tooling (Fullerton TiAlN coated carbide 2 flute and 4 flute) that hopefully will be here by this weekend so I can try some different things. Next I need to get a flood coolant setup built...

TiALN won't work on aluminum, it will just gall up and snap. Google "galling" TiALN is Titanium Aluminum Nitrate, it will make sense.