Successfully slotting with aluminum
Presented here is ProvenCut recipe 440 for machining a deep slot in 6061-T6 aluminum. ProvenCut recipes, which use real-world, unbiased testing to enable successful cutting, have been developed at our machine shop since last year.
Presented here is ProvenCut recipe 440 for machining a deep slot in 6061-T6 aluminum. ProvenCut recipes, which use real-world, unbiased testing to enable successful cutting, have been developed at our machine shop since last year.
With 63.5 mm (2.5″) of the 9.5 mm-dia. (0.375″) endmill from Helical Solutions LLC sticking out from the collet holder face, or 6.7 times the tool diameter, determining this recipe was sure to be tricky — and a recipe that ultimately deviated significantly from the toolmaker’s recommended speeds and feeds. Even Helical Solutions’ software for calculating speeds and feeds, Machining Advisor Pro, suggested running the machine at its maximum spindle speed.
While carbide cutting tools frequently can exceed a cutting speed of 304.8 m/min. (1,000 sfm) when machining a nonferrous material, a recipe that includes a long gauge length and stick-out would not support such a high speed. Although speed and feed calculators often recommend starting points, that software is unable to account for all cutting conditions. As this example illustrates, the initial recommendations were unsatisfactory.
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