Milling wax, issues with surface finish..

[srmaietta]

Hey, I know this is the software forum but I figured there are more wax cutters here than anywhere else.

I use a 15degree, .005 carbide "profiler" to cut my wax. 30krpm spindle. .002 stepover. I run at 22 ipm. cuts great, no melting etc.. But my surface finish is pretty "grainy".. generally rough.. I use a toothbrush and some mild soap and water to clean up the loose fuzz, but there is still the rough surface.. what to do?

is there a solvent to smooth it out? Dare I try and use heat to even out the surface? cast it and deal with it in metal?

what do you guys do?

thanks
~Steve

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[jalessi]

Steve,

1: 30K is to fast for any type of wax, most of us run much slower spindle speeds somewhere in the 12,000 r.p.m. range.

2: Have you looked at the surface under magnification, the wax may be melting.

3: 40% step over is a lot, scaling back to .0015 would give a better finish.

4: Your feed rate is slower than what most of us run, 32 to 45 ipm.

5: Drip feeding or misting coolant is beneficial for some of the guys however I never use it.

6: A toothbrush does a mediocre job removing compaction, do yourself a GIGANTIC FAVOR and purchase a Bab's spot cleaning gun.

Valley Litho has great prices on them.

http://tinyurl.com/yh64p5e

7: Join the 3dcadjewelry.com forum, some of the worlds most talented CNC Cad Cam jewelry designers are members.
http://3dcadjewelry.com/phpbb/

Jeff...

[srmaietta]

Jeff, thanks for the tips! I'll try to take a look at it under magnification and see what's really happening. As long as the next wax is better I'm happy. I'll get it soon enough.

~Steve

[jalessi]

Steve,

I neglected to mention the feed rate for the initial plunge and first two or three passes should be 80 percent slower otherwise you may snap your cutter.

Once the cutter clears its diameter the majority of stress is relieved.

Jeff...