Hi all,
I have a Bridgeport series 1 milling machine running Mach3 with 3 servo controlled axis.... Machine works great, and get ALOT of work.
One of its main jobs is machining out bar. Three pieces of bar sits in a jig and each piece is 50mm wide, 20mm deep and 300mm long. I use a 12mm 2 flute slot drill.
I spiral drill 2 holes into each bar with one at either side (first cut to 20mm diameter, second cut at 27.95mm diameter). After the drilling a radius edge is then machined onto the end of each bar.
I use G-wizard to calculate my machine feeds and speeds.
My problem is.....
I get through one end mill for every three bars. Eventually the end mill melts around the cutting edges and fails. Whether I cut at a 2mm depth or 6mm depth it doesnt matter. I've tried using a 4-flute end mill with the same result. I don't use coolant, but instead a consistent air blast.
The machine is set up as per G-wizard instructions:
12mm end mill
2mm cut depth
12mm slot
1229rpm
130.3mm/min feedrate
65.1mm plunge.
This is annoying and expensive when I'm machining several sets of bars a day.
Pictures attached
Can any of you pro's shed any light on this issue?
Thanks,
Jim