How to choose the suitable carbide End mill?

The carbide end mill is a cutting tool typically used in milling machines or cnc machining centres to perform milling operations (and occasionally in other machine tools). They remove material by their movement within the machine (e.g., a ball nose mill) or directly from the cutter’s shape (e.g., a form tool such as a hobbing cutter).

UKO offer HRC45/55/60/65 square, ball nose and corner radius types for your choice, What kind of carbide end mills will be suitable for your machining? Following the tips may help you to choose them correctly.

Firstly, you can choose the correct cutters from the tool shape and flutes.

Generally speaking, the integral end mill bits can be roughly divided into flat, ball nose and corner radius end mills according to the shape of the cutting edge. The difference between a round nose tool and a flat end mill is that the corner radius type has an R angle. Usually for ball nose, it is 2 flutes, sometimes have 4 flutes. While for flat or corner radius types, they both have 2/3/4 flutes, even can have 6 or 8 flutes. For 2-flute, it is suitable for rough machining, and it can cut softer workpieces than the 4-flute milling cutter. 3 flutes cutters are mainly for processing aluminum, and 4 flutes end mill bits are to process steel and finishing.

 

Secondly, you can choose the correct carbide end mill based on following different end mills’ application and milling types.

If you need fine milling or rough milling, for example, milling grooves, removing a large amount of blanks, small area horizontal planes or contour finishing milling, you can choose such flat carbide end mill.

And if needs semi-finishing and finishing milling of curved surfaces, ball nose end mills will be the suitable one. Small cutters can finish milling small chamfers on steep surfaces or straight walls.

While for corner radius end mill, it is generally used for high-speed milling. It can carry out rough milling with less surface changes, fewer narrow and recessed areas, and more relatively flat areas. So if you have working condtion like this, you can use such kind of corner radius cutters.

Last but not least, you can also choose the suitable milling tools from the aspect of workpieces hardness. UKO have end mills as HRC45 end mill, HRC55 end mill , HRC60 end mill and HRC65 end mill for your options. All of them are used for carbon steel, alloy steel and cast iron processing. However, there are also slight difference between them.

 

Workpiece material
Carbon Steel Alloy Steel Cast Iron Aluminum Alloy Copper Alloy Stainless Steel Hardened Steel
Y Y Y        
  • Y means suitable

For example, HRC45 end mills are black ALTiN coating, using high-hardness materials with good wear resistance and corrosion resistance, it has good wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and specially for cast iron materials, and material before quenching.

HRC55 endmill is TiSiN coating, bronze color, it has high hardness and good wear resistance for steel process, like 45#steel, mold steel and P30.

About HRC60 end mill bit, it is black nano coating( also called AlTiSiN coating), which is passivated and its helix angle is 45 degree, it can process processing high-hard steel, die steel, hardened parts.

As for HRC65 milling cutter, it is blue nano coating and has high strength and high toughness, mainly works for stainless steel or titanium alloy material.

In conclusion, there are different angles for you to choose the right carbide end mill, but the general principle of tool selection is easy installation and adjustment, good rigidity, high precision and longer service life.

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