INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(B.H.U.), VARANASI
A report on

Up and Down Milling

By:

Vedant Kumar
B.Tech Part 2
Mechanical Engineering
15135091

B-2 G-4
Objective: To Study the chip flow variation and morphology for UP milling and
DOWN milling in a horizontal milling of an aluminium.
Equipments required:
Slide and face cutter
Horizontal milling machine
Aluminium Plate
Diesel and Brush

Theory:
Milling is a process of producing flat and complex shapes with the use of multi-point
(or multi-tooth) cutting tool. The axis of rotation of the cutting tool is perpendicular
to the direction of feed, either parallel or perpendicular to the machined surface.
Milling is usually an interrupted cutting operation since the teeth of the milling
cutter enter and exit the work piece during each revolution. This interrupted cutting
action subjects the teeth to a cycle of impact force and thermal shock on every
rotation. The tool material and cutter geometry must be designed to withstand
these conditions. Two basic types of milling operations: down milling, when the
cutter rotation is in the same direction as the motion of the work piece being fed,
and up milling

In down milling, the cutting force is directed on to the work table, which allows
thinner parts to be machined without susceptibility to breakage. Better surface
finish is obtained in down milling but the stress load on the teeth is abrupt, which
may damage the cutter. Backlash eliminator has to be used.
In up milling, the cutting action tends to lift the work piece and hence, proper
fixture is required in this operation, in which the work piece is moving towards the
cutter, opposing the cutter direction of rotation.
Depending on the orientation and geometry of the milling tool, several varieties of
milling operations are possible. In peripheral milling, also referred to as plain
milling, the axis of the cutter is parallel to the surface being machined, and the
operation is performed by the cutting edges on the outside periphery of the tool.
The primary motion is the rotation of the tool. The feed is imparted to the
workpiece. In face milling, the tool is perpendicular to the machined surface. The
tool axis is vertical, and machining is performed by the teeth on both the end and
the periphery of the face-milling tool. Also, up and down types of milling are
available, depending on directions of the tool rotation and feed. End milling is used
to produce pockets, key holes by using a tool referred to as the end mill, has a
diameter less than the workpiece width. In form milling, the cutting edges of the
peripheral tool (also referred to as form cutter) have a special profile that is
imparted to the workpiece. Tools with various profiles are also available to cut
different two-dimensional surfaces. One important application of form milling is in
gear manufacturing. Surface contouring, is an operation performed by computer
controlled milling machines in which a ball-end mill is fed back and forth across the
workpiece along a curvilinear path at close intervals to produce complex three-
dimensional surfaces.

Milling Cutters and Milling Operations:

Some basic types of milling cutters and milling operations. (a) Peripheral milling. (b) Face milling.
(c) End milling. (d) Ball-end mill with indexable coated-carbide inserts machining a cavity in a die
block. (e) Milling a sculptured surface with an end mill, using a five-axis numerical control machine.

Conventional Milling Vs. Climb Milling:

There are two distinct ways to cut materials when milling, conventional (up) milling
and climb (down) milling. The difference between these two techniques is the
relationship of the rotation of the cutter to the direction of feed. In conventional
milling, the cutter rotates against the direction of the feed while during climb
milling, the cutter rotates with the feed. Conventional milling is the traditional
approach when cutting because the backlash (Figure 1), the play between the lead
screw and the nut in the machine table, is eliminated. Recently, climb milling has
been recognized as the preferred way to approach a workpiece due to the fact that
more and more machines compensate for backlash or have a backlash eliminator.
Below are some key properties for both conventional and climb milling.
Conventional Milling (Up Milling):
Max chip thickness is at the end of the cut
Advantage: tooth engagement is not a function of workpiece surface
characteristics, and contamination or scale on the surface does not affect tool
life.
Cutting process is smooth
Tendency for the tool to chatter
The workpiece has a tendency to be pulled upward, necessitating proper
clamping.

Climb Milling (Down Milling):

Cutting starts at the surface of the workpiece.
Downward compression of cutting forces hold workpiece in place
Because of the resulting high impact forces when the teeth engage the
workpiece, this operation must have a rigid setup, and backlash must be
eliminated in the table feed mechanism
Not suitable for machining workpiece having surface scale.

When to Choose, Conventional or Climb Milling:

Climb milling is generally the best way to machine parts today since it reduces the
load from the cutting edge, leaves a better surface finish, and improves tool life.
During conventional milling, the cutter tends to dig into the workpiece and may
cause the part to be cut out of tolerance. Even though climb milling is the preferred
way to machine parts, there are times when conventional milling is the
recommended choice. Backlash, which is typically found in older and manual
machines, is a huge concern with climb milling. If the machine does not counteract
backlash, conventional milling should be implemented. Conventional milling is also
suggested for use on casting or forgings or when the part is case hardened since
the cut begins under the surface of the material.

There are two major classes of milling process:

In face milling, the cutting action

occurs primarily at the end corners of the
milling cutter. Face milling is used to cut
flat surfaces (faces) into the
workpiece, or to cut flat-bottomed cavities.

In peripheral milling, the cutting action

occurs primarily along the circumference
of the cutter, so that the cross section of
the milled surface ends up receiving the
shape of the cutter. In this case the
blades of the cutter can be seen as
scooping out material from the work
piece. Peripheral milling is well suited to the cutting of deep slots, threads, and gear teeth.
Vertical Milling
On a vertical milling machine, the cutting head, called the spindle, is oriented
vertically. Milling can be controlled in different ways, depending on the specific type
of machine. The bed mill uses a spindle that can be raised or lowered, combined
with a bed that can be moved horizontally. The combination of these sets of
movements enables the operator to mill the raw material to different shapes and
depths. A turret mill has a spindle in a fixed position, and the bed is moved both
vertically and horizontally to bring the material up to the cutting surface and mill it
to specifications. A turret mill is often considered to be more versatile than a bed
mill, but because of the way turret mills move, theyre impractical except in small
sizes. Large, heavy pieces are more difficult for a machine operator to raise and
lower, which means large milling machines designed to work on heavy pieces are
usually bed mills.

Horizontal Milling
A horizontal milling machine, on the other hand, makes uses of a horizontal arbor to
mount the cutting surfaces. The cutters on a horizontal mill are fashioned
something like the blade of a circular saw, but they are generally thicker and
smaller. Their size and shape means they can generally cut faster than the spindle
of a vertical mill, especially when milling slots and grooves. The length of the arbor
across the entire width of the bed also means that multiple cutters can sometimes
be installed, which allows cutting of multiple grooves at one time. Some horizontal
milling machines also have beds that can be rotated to enable milling at multiple
angles rather than strictly on a horizontal plane.

Cutters:
a. Straddle: more cutters are used to machine two parallel surfaces on the
workpiece
b. Form milling produces curved profiles using cutters that have specially shaped
teeth
c. Slotting and slitting operations are performed with circular cutters. [T-slot cutters]