John Saunders shares a recipe for successfully machining a deep slot in 6061-T6 aluminum. Saunders is the owner of Saunders Machine Works LLC, Zanesville, Ohio, and the founder of ProvenCut, a website with a video library of speeds and feeds.
Along with advances in software, materials, tooling and machine technology comes new machining guidance intended to help shops properly utilize said technology to maximize productivity. Among them is a milling strategy Seco Tools Inc. calls optimized roughing.
The key to the strategy, according to Seco, is using the full flute length of an end mill during roughing. Applied properly, optimized roughing reportedly enables a shop to machine pockets three to four times faster than conventional methods while extending the life of its tools.
Kennametal's five-flute, high-velocity aluminum roughing solid-carbide endmill — the KOR 5 — is said to increase table feed rates up to 66% compared to commonly used three-flute tools. The KOR 5, which is capable of removing large amounts of metal and getting it away from the work zone as quickly as possible, reportedly offers a significant boost in productivity for aircraft manufacturers and their suppliers.
Kennametal's latest addition to its HARVI line of high-performance solid endmills, the HARVI I TE 4-flute solid-carbide endmill features a radical new design. The HARVI I TE is said to deliver outstanding performance in a broad range of materials, including steel, stainless steel, high-temperature alloys and cast iron. And thanks to significantly reduced cutting forces, this tool can be used on any machining center or mill/turn center in the shop.
