I really should post this to one of the general forums but there are enough Haas guys here that I'm hoping for directly applicable opinions.

I am about to make some parts which need slots cut into 6061. They are 0.031" wide and 0.021" deep. A slitting saw is not an option since the paths will eventually have curves in them (if this prototype succeeds).

I purchased 1/32" flat and ball carbide endmills (to experiment with each). I'm trying to calculate safe feeds.

Starting with a 0.25" endmill, I could safely assume 0.002" chip load. Scaling the diameter down to 0.031", the proportional chip load would be 0.00025. At 10K RPM, that would be 5 IPM--fully buried. By the 'normal' calculations, I'd figure 0.5D (0.016 deep) at 5 IPM

5 IPM just sounds too fast to me for such a small, fragile endmill. Can I use this method of 'scaling' to estimate safe feeds? Time isn't that critical but I don't want to spend days machining the parts either. If I don't scrap anything, I have about 30 inches of aluminum to cut these grooves into (in as many passes as it takes).

Any suggestions?