3.

0 - CNC tools
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Lesson overview

3.1 End Mills

3.2 Face Mill
3.3 Corner Radius Tool
3.4 Slot Mill/Slotting Saw
3.5 Hole Making Tools
3.6 Cutting Tool Fundamentals
3.7 Cutting Speeds & Feeds Formulas
3.8 Speed/Feed Examples
3.9 Cutting Data & Best Practice Parameters

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objectives

List most commonly used CNC tools.

Determine spindle rotational direction.
Interpret a chip formation diagram.
Define chip load.
Distinguish between Climb and Conventional milling.
Compute cutting speeds and feeds for a specified tool, material and
operation.

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Overview
Many cutting tool types/shapes/sizes.
Few types needed for most CNC
parts.
Most often used listed to right.

Tip: If possible acquire a tool catalog from a supplier.

Other good sources:

Company

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Web Address

McMaster-Carr

www.mcmaster.com

MSC Industrial Supply

www.mscdirect.com

Sandvik

www.sandvik.com

Valenite

www.valenite.com

Tools Used in this Course

End Mill
Face Mill
Corner Round
Slot Mill
Spot/Center Drill
Twist Drill
Tap
Reamer

3.1 - End mills

End Mills are the primary cutting tool used in CNC milling.
Many different:

Shapes
Sizes
Geometric configurations
Materials

Corner
Rounding

Convex
Radius

Lollipop

Concave
Radius

End Mill

Tapered
End Mill

Roughing
End Mill

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Ball Nose
End Mill

Chamfer
Mill

Carbide
Insert
Face Mill

3.1 - End mills: Nose types

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End mills: Nose Types/applications

Flat Nose:

Bull Nose:

Fillets and 3D roughing.

Ball Nose:

2D contours and pockets.

3D rough and finishing.

Chamfer

De-burr or chamfer edges.

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End mill: number of cutting flutes

Four flutes.

Two flutes.

Rigid.
Higher feed rates than 2 or 3 flute (see Feed Formula).
More chip clearance (room for chip to be ejected).

Three flutes.

Less common, but good compromise.

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End mills: center cutting

Center cutting: Cutting edges extend across center of tool (see
cutting end view below).
Non-center cutting: Relief hole in center.

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End mills: center cutting

Only center cutting end mills can plunge straight down through
material.
Non-center cutting must be ramp, spiral, or drop through existing
hole.

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3.2 - Face mill

Very high material removal rate.
High initial cost (tool body).

Carbide inserts can be replaced when worn.

Do not use coolant:

Environmental. Cleaner. Lower maintenance.

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3.3 - Corner round

Use to machine fillet on outside corners of part.

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3.4 - Slot mill

Includes:

Side milling cutters.

Slitting saws.
Woodruff keyset cutters.

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3.5 Hole making Tools

Center drills
Countersink Drills
Drill Point Countersink
Twist Drills (Jobber Length)
Stub-Length Drill
Taps-Spiral Point (Gun Tap)
Taps-Bottoming
Reamer
Counterbore

Stub
Length
Drill
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Cent
er
Drill

Twist Drill
(Jobber
Length)

Countersi
nk
Drill

Spiral Point
Tap
(Gun Tap)

Drill Point
Countersin
k

Bottoming
Tap

Reame
r

3.5 - Center & Countersink Drills

Center drills:

Countersink drills:

Short, very rigid.

Used to put conic on part.
Prevents subsequent twist drill wobble.
Ensures hole will be located precisely.
Create conical face for flush machine screws.

Drill Point Countersink (Combined Spotting + Countersink):

Create both screw clearance hole and Csink.

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Center & Countersink Drills

Many different sizes and tip angles:

Csink tip angle = machine screw tip angle (60, 82, 100, 110, 120
degrees).
Csink body diameter > screw head diameter.

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Twist drill
Tip angle usually 118 degrees.
Long drills will wobble before piercing part surface.

Spot drill first to create conic.

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Taps

Cutting:

Form tap:

Create thread by displacing material.

Preferred, especially for plastics and aluminum.

Bottoming:

Create thread by removing material.

For blind (not through) holes.

Spiral Point.

Best for through holes.

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Rigid Tapping

Rigid tapping:

CNC Machine can grip tap in rigid (not floating) holder.

Spindle reverses to retract tap.

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Reamer

Used to finish holes that require precise size.

Examples: ground pins and bushings (+/- .0002 typical).

Machining parameters must be correct to achieve high precision,

including:

Cutting speed.
Cutting feed.
Material to remove (Stock allowance).
See Cutting Data and Best Practices, Chapter 4.

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Reamer

Chamfer on end of reamer helps it get started and centered in

hole.

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Counterbore (About)

Looks like an end mill with pilot in center.

Used to spot face holes for cap screws.

Centers spot face on hole.

Not often used on CNC machines.

Use End Mill and either Drill or Circular Pocket instead.

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3.6 Cutting Tool fundamentals

Rotational direction.
Chip formation diagram.
Chip load.
Climb vs. Conventional Milling.

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Rotational direction

Most CNC Tools cut when rotating Clockwise (view looking down
from machine spindle).

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Chip formation
Tools cut using a shearing action.
Cutting flute produces a chip that is ejected away from part.

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Chip load

The (max) thickness of material removed by each sweep of each

cutting flute across the part (typically: .001-.020in).

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Climb vs. conventional milling

Climb Milling: Tool begins at max chip thickness and ends with
minimum.
Conventional Milling: Tool begins at min chip thickness and ends
with max.

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conventional milling
Creates excessive heat increasing tool wear.
Rakes chips across surface leaving poor finish.
Not used often on CNC (mostly on Manual mills).

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Climb milling
Reduces heat and tool wear.
Reduces horsepower used.
Better surface finish.
Use unless material requires otherwise.

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Tips

Never use a cutting tool to machine plastic that has cut any metal.
Machining metal compromises the sharp edge of the tool and will
produce poor results in plastic.
A good practice is to keep 2 sets of tools, one for plastic and the
other for metal.
High speed steel cutter work best for plastic.
Carbide cutters work best for metals.

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3.7 cutting speeds and Feeds

Speeds and feed definition.

Resources.
Speed formula.
Feed formula.
Tapping feed rate calculation.

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Speeds and feeds definitions

Speed = Rotational velocity of tool.

Feed = How fast tool moves through material.

Revolutions per minute (RPM).

Inches per minute (IPM) or
Millimeters per minute (mm/min)

Selection based primarily on tool, material, and machining

operation.

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Speeds and feeds resources

Tool supplier/salesman.
Tool maker web site.
Tooling catalogs.
CAD/CAM software.

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Speeds and feeds resources

Based on many variables including:

Setup rigidity.
Quality of CNC machine.
Capabilities of CNC machine.
Material variation.

Even the best speeds and feeds data is a scientific guess.

Often adjusted at machine based on actual conditions (chip
formation, sound, etc).

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Speed formulawhere it comes from

Derived from a formula that relates rotational velocity of tool with
flute speed for a given tool diameter.
Do not memorize this formula. It is there so you can see how the
simpler formula is derived. The complete step-by-step derivation is
in the reading assignment.

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Speed formula derived version

Dia = Tool Diameter (in)

3.82 = Constant
SFM = Speed (ft/min) at which material moves past cutting edge

Get from reference tables, CAD/CAM or other resources.

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Feed formula

Feed (in/min) = rate tool advances through material.

CL (in) = Chip Load: Amount of material removed by each pass of a
cutting flute.
NumFlutes = Number of cutting flutes of tool (for drill, use 1).

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Tap feed formula

Based on cutting speed and Threads Per Inch (TPI) of tap.

Example: -20 tap = 20 TPI

Feed = Linear (plunge) feed rate of tap.

Speed = Cutting speed (from Speed formula).
TPI = Threads Per Inch

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3.8 Milling speed/feed examples

Calculate the cutting speed and feed for a milling operation given
the following parameters.

Parameter
Tool Diameter
NumFlutes
SFM
IPR

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Value
.500in
4
600ft/min
.005in

Milling speed/feed example step 1

Calculate Speed (RPM).

Where:
Speed (rev/min)
SFM (ft/min) = 600
3.82 = Constant
Dia (in) = .500

Solution:
a. Speed = [(SFM x 3.82) / Dia]
b. Speed (rev/min) = [(600 x 3.82) / .500]
c. Speed (rev/min) = 4584 RPM

Note: Always round off Speeds to the nearest integer.

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Milling speed/feed example step 2

Use Speed from previous formula to help calculate Feed.

Where:
Speed = 4584
(rev/min)
Chip Load = .005in
NumFlutes = 4

Solution:
a. Feed = Speed x Chip Load x NumFlutes
b. Feed = 4584 x .005 x 4
c. Feed = 91 in/min

Note: Round off milling feeds to nearest integer value.

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Drilling speed/feed example

Calculate the cutting speed and feed for a drilling operation given
the following parameters.

Parameter

Value

Tool Diameter
SFM

.201in
250ft/mi
n
.002in

IPR

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Drilling speed/feed example step 1

Calculate Speed (RPM).
Same formula as mill but different data.

Where:
SFM = 250 (ft/min)
3.82 = Constant
Dia = .201 (#7 Drill)

Solution:
a. Speed = [(SFM x 3.82) / Dia]
b. Speed (rev/min) = [(250 x 3.82) / .201]
c. Speed (rev/min) = 4751 RPM

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Drilling speed/feed example step 2

Use Speed from previous formula to help calculate Feed.

Where:
Speed = 4751
(rev/min)
Chip Load = .
002in/rev
NumFlutes = 9.5

Solution:
a. Feed = Speed x Chip Load x NumFlutes
b. Feed = 4751 x .002 x 1
c. Feed = 9.5 in/min

Note: Round off milling feeds to first decimal point.

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Tap speed/feed example

Calculate the cutting speed and feed for a tapping operation given
the following parameters (1/4 20 tap).

Parameter
Tool Diameter
SFM
TPI (Threads
Inch)

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Value
.25in
100ft/min
per 24

Tap speed/feed example step 1

Calculate Speed (RPM).

Where:
SFM = 100 (ft/min)
3.82 = Constant
Dia = .250 )

Solution:
a. Speed = [(SFM x 3.82) / Dia]
b. Speed (rev/min) = [(100 x 3.82) / .250]
c. Speed (rev/min) = 1528 RPM

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Tap speed/feed example step 2

Calculate Feed (IPM.

Where:
Speed = 1528
(rev/min)
TPI = 24 (threads/in)

Solution:
a. Feed = Speed / TPI
b. Feed = 1528 / 24
c. Feed = 63.667 in/min

Note: Round off tapping feeds to three decimal points.

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What if speed exceeds max spindle rpm?

In cases were the calculated RPM exceeds the maximum spindle

speed capability of the machine:

Substitute max spindle speed for Speed value.

Use max spindle speed in Feed calculation.

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3.9 Cutting data

Mill Cutting Speeds (SFM) surface ft/min

Material
HSS
Carbide

Cutting Feeds (IPR) in/rev

Operation
Tool Diameter Range (in)

Aluminum
Brass
Delrin
Polycarbonate
Stainless Steel
303)
Steel (4140)

Milling

600
175
400
300
80

800
175
800
500
300

70

350

.
125-.2
5

.002

.002

.005 .
006
.001 .002 .002 .
004
.002 .002 .005 .
006
.001 .003 .006 .
008
.
.001 .002 .
0005
003
.
.0005 .001 .
0005
002

.
007
.
005
.
007
.
009
.
004
.
003

Drilling

.002

.004

.005 .
010

.
015

Reaming

.005

.007

.009 .

Aluminum

Drill Cutting Speeds (SFM) surface ft/min

Material
Drilli CReame Tap
ng
Sink r
Aluminum
Brass
Delrin
Polycarbonate
Stainless Steel
303)
Steel (4140)

<.12
5

300
120
150
240
50

200
90
100
160
35

150
66
75
120
25

100
100
100
100
35

90

60

45

35

Brass
Delrin
Polycarbonate
Stainless
(303)

Steel

Steel (4140)

.
.5-1.
25-.5

>1.

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Cutting data parameters/allowances

Recommended Machining Parameters
Operatio Parameter
Value
n
All
Clearance Height
1.0 inches
All
Feed Height
.1 inches
All
Rapid Height
As needed to clear clamps and
fixtures
Mill
Stepover (XY)
50-80% of tool dia.
(Roughing
)
Mill
Stepdown (Z)
25-50% of tool dia.
(Roughing
)
Drill
Peck Increment
.05 inches
Stock Finish Allowances (Inches)
Spot Drill Dwell
.5 seconds
Operation
Tool Diameter Range (in)
<.12 .
.
.5-1. >1.
5
125-.2 25-.5
5
Milling (XY)
.001 .005
.015 .020 .020
Milling (Z)
.001 .002
.005 .005 .005
Reaming
.005 .010
.012 .020 .030
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Troubleshooting speeds/feeds
Be methodical.
Analyze what is happening and draw on resources.
Dont make the mistake of thinking the best solution is always to
reduce cutting speeds and feeds: sometimes increasing is better.
Machinerys Handbook has detailed troubleshooting information.

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