[CORBIN92087]

So we do a lot of pocket milling here at our shop, and now we start at the center of the whole and cut material out to diameter. Now i know just cutting the outside profile, and letting the solid peice fall thru the middle will save time... but my concern is that when the solid peice finally does fall through, i was worried it might bind up with the tool and cause a crash??? tips tips tips please!

[John Welden]

So we do a lot of pocket milling here at our shop, and now we start at the center of the whole and cut material out to diameter. Now i know just cutting the outside profile, and letting the solid peice fall thru the middle will save time... but my concern is that when the solid peice finally does fall through, i was worried it might bind up with the tool and cause a crash??? tips tips tips please!

Look into surfcam's truemill technology. Go insanely fast.

[youngjim]

If you can set up a fixture so the loose bit is fastened down so it won't move when the supporting metal is cut away, you should be alright. You might want to set up a cut with a v-shaped section, the way you would to part a piece off on a lathe, so that there is a little extra clearance between the loose bit of material and your cutter.

Jim

[little bubba]

I've done a lot of dropping slugs out of material, and I've lost a lot of cutters doing it.

The trick is to have a controlled drop, and some free room for your cutter doesn't hurt either. Pretty simple to do. Run your profile, ramp in do whatever and leave a good chunk of XY stock, maybe .030 on 1/4 thick stuff, maybe .100 or more on the thick stuff, and leave a little in the Z, .010-.015 if the slug is going to be light, .050 or more if its going to be a heavy one. Now take your finish pass, or semi finish depending on what kind of finish and tolerance, completely through the material and as you start coming back to your starting point the slug will start to fall on the far side, bending that little bit of stock you left in the Z, as you break through, its already 3/4 out of the way and it finishes falling.

[kling8]

I do a good share of drops on the parts I run. I agree with Bubba. I pay close attention when I'm prgramming the part where and when I want the drop to happen. The material thickness to leave for drop depend a bit on the material running, tool steel I left about .015 for final pass. Alum. I leave more material

[youngjim]

This method in [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob-RBntcZc8&feature=related"]YouTube - Frà¤sen von einem Aluminium Notebookgehà¤use[/ame].

Jim