Flute polishing boosts surface integrity

END USER: Niagara Cutter LLC, (800) 861-6111, www.niagaracutter.com.
CHALLENGE: Improve cutting edge integrity and flute faces of cutting tools.
SOLUTION: A flute finishing process that uses a fine-grit, hybrid resin-bond flute polishing grinding wheel, special truing wheels and fine-grit dressing sticks.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Norton/Saint-Gobain Abrasives, (254) 918-2313, www.nortonindustrial.com.

Manufacturers of round carbide cutting tools are continually seeking ways to improve their flute finishes. Finer surface finishes produce superior cutting edges, extend tool life, enhance workpiece finish, provide faster metal-removal rates and enable more efficient chip evacuation when machining ductile, nonferrous materials.

Courtesy of Niagara Cutter

Niagara Cutter uses the Norton flute polishing process for imparting mirror finishes on its cutting tools, such as this endmill.

Niagara Cutter LLC, Reynoldsville, Pa., was one such toolmaker seeking to improve the cutting edges and flute gullets of its standard round carbide tools for machining aluminum alloys, as well as some of its specials, noted Jim Lundy, the company’s grinding technology manager.

He added that the flutes weren’t polished or loose abrasive media was applied. Polishing with loose abrasive, however, is a labor-intensive, manual process that requires skilled operators and often causes “edge dumping,” or rounding the cutting edge.

In addition to the media, the company applied a fine-grit grinding wheel, but was not achieving the desired results, Lundy noted.

A fine-grit wheel forms small chips during grinding, imparting fine grinding marks and minimizing surface and subsurface damage. The challenge, however, is to properly true and dress the wheel for the task.

Courtesy of Niagara Cutter

Courtesy of Niagara Cutter