Hello forum
I need to contour a part but it's taking me ages with a 3/8" 4-fluted flat endmill (carbide). The total length of the contour is 22.5", with a depth of cut of about 0.004", and the total depth should be 2". Speed is at 1000rpm and feed is 4.68IPM (0.004685" IPR, 0.001171" IPT), so this takes about 4:49 per pass. I'm not retracting with each pass, so I drilled a 7/16 hole to use as relief, so I won't dull the endmill (although it's become so due to the high feed I'm working with). Needless to say, I'm doing this on the VMC I have at work.
Now, I'm thinking about cutting the part with the flank of the endmill so I can get it done in, say, four passes of 0.5" each. What I plan to do in order to get this done as quick as possible is keep the RPM as it is (1000), slow down the feed (maybe at 1 IPM so the endmill will eat about 0.001" per revolution, I infer it'll break otherwise), and to avoid chatter and unnecessary vibration, while leaving a decent finish (I think).
Would anyone advise in favor of, or against this technique? One of the machinists at work told me it could work as long as I kept a slow feed, but I wanted to make sure just because, before I sit down and code the whole thing. And break an endmill.
By the way, I'm machining AISI 9840T. Between 250 and 300BHN.
Thanks in advance,
Francisco.