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Fast and reliable milling of stainless steel, titanium, heat-resistant alloys or even CrC alloys is a huge challenge for many machine operators and tool manufacturers. To overcome the challenge, the Swiss cutting tool manufacturer Mikron Tool launched CrazyMill Cool, a product family that promises a valuable solution in a diameter range from 0.3 mm (0.012”) to 8 mm (0.315”). CrazyMill Cool Ball is the newest product of this line. Its application field is the roughing and finishing when copy milling, contour milling or facemilling. The carbide endmill offers cutting depths of 2 x d, 3 x d or 5 x d has been developed specially for industries where stainless steel, superalloys and CrCo alloys are the daily business.
The medical industry, with its highly precise instruments and implants, depends on reliable, high-quality cutting tools. The same requirements exist in segments where the working material has to be heat resistant (e.g. energy industry with turbine blades, automotive or aerospace with compressors).
A straight collaboration with competent partners like carbide producers or coating specialists and the integration of different factors, such as tool geometry, grinding technology or coolant supply, results in high cutting speeds and surface quality when roughing and finishing. CrazyMill Cool features integrated coolant channels with the outlet located on the shank taper. They feed the cutting edges continuously with a consistent coolant jet and flush the chips from the cutting zone.
The form of the channels permits a maximum quantity of coolant even at lower pressure without reducing the stability of the tool. However, the smallest diameters (from 0.3 mm or 0.012“) with a 3 mm (0.12“) shank diameter need a coolant pressure of 15 bar to guarantee a good cooling effect.
Besides an efficient cooling, there are other parameters responsible for the tools' high performance. The grinding secondary angle guarantees a vibration free machining and (combined with a high cutting speed) a high surface quality. By changing the infeed ap and ae, this tool can be used for roughing or finishing. When roughing, it is possible to go with a vertical infeed ap up to 1 x d and a horizontal infeed ae up to 0.3 x d, when finishing infeed has to be reduced to ap max. 0.5 x d and to ae 0.05 to 0.15 x d, depending on the required surface quality. Roughing means working in a vertical position, for finishing it’s recommended to work in an inclined angle of 10° to 15°.
Related Glossary Terms
- alloys
alloys
Substances having metallic properties and being composed of two or more chemical elements of which at least one is a metal.
- coolant
coolant
Fluid that reduces temperature buildup at the tool/workpiece interface during machining. Normally takes the form of a liquid such as soluble or chemical mixtures (semisynthetic, synthetic) but can be pressurized air or other gas. Because of water’s ability to absorb great quantities of heat, it is widely used as a coolant and vehicle for various cutting compounds, with the water-to-compound ratio varying with the machining task. See cutting fluid; semisynthetic cutting fluid; soluble-oil cutting fluid; synthetic cutting fluid.
- endmill
endmill
Milling cutter held by its shank that cuts on its periphery and, if so configured, on its free end. Takes a variety of shapes (single- and double-end, roughing, ballnose and cup-end) and sizes (stub, medium, long and extra-long). Also comes with differing numbers of flutes.
- facemilling
facemilling
Form of milling that produces a flat surface generally at right angles to the rotating axis of a cutter having teeth or inserts both on its periphery and on its end face.
- feed
feed
Rate of change of position of the tool as a whole, relative to the workpiece while cutting.
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- grinding
grinding
Machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece by a powered abrasive wheel, stone, belt, paste, sheet, compound, slurry, etc. Takes various forms: surface grinding (creates flat and/or squared surfaces); cylindrical grinding (for external cylindrical and tapered shapes, fillets, undercuts, etc.); centerless grinding; chamfering; thread and form grinding; tool and cutter grinding; offhand grinding; lapping and polishing (grinding with extremely fine grits to create ultrasmooth surfaces); honing; and disc grinding.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- shank
shank
Main body of a tool; the portion of a drill or similar end-held tool that fits into a collet, chuck or similar mounting device.
- superalloys
superalloys
Tough, difficult-to-machine alloys; includes Hastelloy, Inconel and Monel. Many are nickel-base metals.
