Feed and spindle speeds when cutting on mill

[sixmillionways]

Hi,

This might be a bit too basic of a question for this part of the forum, but I often have trouble when cutting materials on our CNC mill - I do not know the correct feed and spindle speeds to use with different materials and different size cutters.

I have rough rules of thumb but often (especially when working with plastics) get a bad finish due to incorrectly setting up the machine speeds.

Can anyone recommend a good table, chart or book that might help me to overcome this problem?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tomwalz]

The best info seems to be the insert manufacturer's catalogs followed by info from the material suppliers and then Machinery’s Handbook. That’s pretty situational though.

Tom


Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com

 

[jck26]

A tip for plastics, get sharp tools with reduced contact to the material. Also I'm a big fan of the cold air guns that will keep the plastic from building up on the tool.

I also agree to talk with your tool supplier to get excellent info on how to apply the tooling to the job.


jck26

 

[TVP]

For plastics, heat is the problem, as it will lead to BUE and other problems. Sharp tools are a must. The suggestion of cold air nozzles by jck26 is a good one-- it not only clears out the chips but it also reduces the tool temperature. Feeds should be very high so that the tools do not dwell.

 

[MikeHalloran]

Keep a separate set of sharp tools for plastics.

NEVER use them on metal.




Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[sixmillionways]

Thank you all very much for your advice.

 

[MsJamie]

Best software for speed and feed, comes as a free
download from :

http://fadal.com

It is called Fadal CNC Quick Code.
At another forum I'm a member of, it ranked very high over
all. Easy to use, you only have to enter the parameters.
Covers most materials, even generates G code.
But if you want the old basic, outdated charts, just goto
the public library. Lots of old high school texts there.

Ms Jamie.