Just a question about plunge milling.

[Machine1]

Well guys Im back again with yet another question. Ok...this is what we got...I have .950" thk AL 6" x 6"....Right now I am laying these parts flat and using a 9/32 ball nose endmill to cut a slot on the side of the part...what I want to do is flip these parts up and run them on a horizontal machine and plunge mill them. What is your take on it. The one thing that I don't like about using a ball nose is you have no surface speed in the center of the cutter and it tends to walk of because of climb cutting on one side and conventional cutting on the other. So plunge milling would allow me to use the benefits of the cutter. So my question if you where able to would you preferr to plunge or cut with a ball nose endmill?

[HuFlungDung]

Climb cutting on one side and conventional cutting on the other???

Oh, I know what it is. Turn the spindle on

[Machine1]

What I am talking about is when you are engaged in a full cut at the width of the tool....the tool is actually climb milling on one side and con on the other. And by the way the spindle was on.

[Konrad]

I know what you are talking about!
But this shouldn't matter, because that evens it out.
You must have a very light duty machine. You have taken the right Joyce, in selecting a ball cutter, it plunges good, and you should be able to cut sideways!

You can try using a 4 - fluted center cutting endmill, it should get better, less aggressive in
cutting, because there are more teeth engaged in the material.

Konrad

[HuFlungDung]

Machine1,

You can overcome the poor drilling abilities of the ballnose cutter by ramping into the cut. I am not sure what software you are using to program with.

One thing I usually do with a brand new ballnose endmill, is take it over to the grinder and increase the rake face angle at the center of the flutes. Most of the time, these faces are perpendicular, which tends to clog up like crazy in aluminum. With a steady hand, and a good eye, you can grind quite a bit of extra chip space without changing the shape of the factory edge. But, that's just what I do I've got natural diamond or CBN wheels to do this with, too, depending on the tool material.