Switched from a 2-flute to a 4-flute end mill for aluminum and my cycle time dropped by 30%

I was running a job on our Haas VF2, making about 200 of these small aluminum brackets. For years I used a 2-flute end mill for roughing, thinking it was the standard. Last month, I tried a 4-flute on a hunch after talking to a guy at a tooling demo. The difference was huge. I could up my feed rate without chatter and the finish was way better right off the machine. Has anyone else found a specific tool change that made this big of a jump in speed?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wren3d agoMost Upvoted

That 30% drop is just wild to me. I always thought two flutes were the only way to go for aluminum chip clearance. You're making me want to raid the tool crib tomorrow and try this.

angela6879d ago

Yeah, the feed rate jump without chatter is real. I had the same thing happen when I switched to a variable helix end mill for steel.

mark_mitchell9d ago

That variable helix geometry is a game changer, @angela687. Pushed my feeds up 30% in 4140 without any fuss.