Theoretical support A. Face milling Face milling is a machining operation that controls the height of the machined part.

For most applications, face milling is relatively simple operation, at least in the sense that it usually does not include any difficult countering motions. The cutting tool used for face milling is typically a multi tooth cutter, called a face mill, although end mills may also be used for certain face milling operations, usually within small areas. The top surfaces machined with a face mill are generally perpendicular to the axis of the facing cutter. In CNC programming, the face milling operations are fairly simple, although two important considerations are critical: Selection of the cutter diameter Initial starting position of the tool in relation to the part A.1 Cutter selection Face milling requires that a specific amount of material be removed from the top of part, at one or several depth levels, in a single cut or multiple cuts. A typical face mill is a multi tooth cutter with interchangeable carbide insets. Typical to a face milling operation is the fact that not all inserts of the milling cutter are actually working at the same time. Each inserts works only within a part of one complete revolution. Basic selection criteria The selection of a face mill cutter has to take into account several situations: Condition of the CNC machine Material of the part Setup method and work holding integrity Method of mounting Overall construction of the cutter Face mill diameter Insert geometry A.1.1 Face mill diameter One of the most important considerations for face milling operations is the selection of cutter size. For a single face cut, the ideal width of the face mill cutter should be about 1.3 to 1.6 times larger than the material width. It will assure a good formation of chips and their clear out from the part.

A.1.2 Insert geometry Insert geometry and insert mounting into the cutter body is determined by a design that controls the position of the insert in the material during a cut. There are typically three general categories, based on the cutting rake angle of the face mill: Positive geometry Negative geometry Combination of both Positive geometry cutters require less machining power than negative cutters, so they may be more suitable on CNC machines with limited power rating, usually small machines. They offer a good chip breaking characteristics and are good choice for machining steel materials when the cutting load is not too heavy. Negative geometry face mills offer very high strength of the insert edge and usually require a heavy duty machine and robust setup. The side effect is poor formation of the chips for steel but not for some kind of cast irons, where there is hardly any curling effect during chip formation. Positive/Negative geometry is the most beneficial to face milling operations where chip clogging could become problematic. This dual geometry design offers strength of the negative insert with the capability of curling the chip into a spiral shape. This design is usually most suitable for full width face milling. A.2 Cutter considerations Full width face milling cut may cause the insert edge to wear out prematurely and the chip to weld itself to the insert. The next figure (Fig. 1.1) shows desirable and undesirable relationship of the cutter diameter to the part width during face milling.

The face mill entry angle is determined by position of the cutter center line relative to the part edge. If a part can be milled with a single cut, avoid situations where the cutter center line position matches the part center line. The next figure (Fig. 1.2) shows both types of entry angles and their effects.

In milling, the programming cutting direction, relative to the table motion direction is always very important. There are three milling mode possibilities available in milling operations: Neutral milling mode Conventional milling mode Climb milling mode The next figure (Fig. 1.3) illustrates the three milling mode.

Here is a list of some points that should be evaluated for any face milling operation: Always plunge in to the required depth away from the part

If surface finish is important, change the cutter direction away from the part Keep the cutter center within the part area for better cutting conditions The next figures (Fig. 1.4) show different kind of face milling.

B. Pocket milling Pocket milling is also a typical and common operation on CNC machining centers. Milling a pocket means to remove material from an enclosed area, defined by its boundary. This bound area is further defined by its walls and bottom, although walls and bottom could be tapered, convex, concave, rounded, and have other shapes. Pockets can have square, rectangular, circular or undefined shape, they can be empty inside or they may have islands. To open a space to start milling a pocket, the cutter motion has to be programmed to enter along the direction of spindle (Z axis), which means the cutter must be center cutting to be able to plunge cut. In cases where the plunge cut is either not practical or not possible, a method called ramping can be used very successfully. The method of removing the majority of material from the pocket or stock is called roughing. The roughing method selection can be a little more complex. The location where to start the plunge or ramped cut is important, so is the width of cut. It may be difficult to leave exactly the same amount of stock for finishing everywhere in pocket. Some typical methods for roughing a pocket are: Zigzag Inside of the pocket out Outside of the pocket in

There are also very important dimensions of the part, as defined in the drawing. They are the length, the width, and the radius of the pocket. In the next picture (Fig. 1.1) we can see the roughing as example. The start point is identified as X1 and Y1 distance from the corner (lower left), and all additional data are shown as well. The letter identify variable settings that must be done, the programmer chooses their values, depending on the job.

Fig. 1.1 Roughing-zigzag method The meaning of the description letter is:

X Y

= X location of tool at start = Y location of tool at start

TLR = Tool radius (cutter diameter / 2) L W Q D S C = Length = Width = Calculated stepover between cuts = Calculated length of actual cut = Stock left for finishing = Clearance

Fig. 1.2 Result of a zigzag method The last picture (Fig. 1.2) illustrates the result of roughing operation. Observations We can use a large diameter tool to make the roughing and drawing at the same time to avoid that code comes bigger. In the real applications this operation could be very trouble. We cannot us the roughing technique as detailing technique. Conclusions The programming for face milling is so effortless that, in fact, many programmers do not pay sufficient attention to proper selection of the face milling cutter, proper inserts, do not even consider the machine requirements and capabilities. Insert geometry influences quality of the cutting. Roughing technique allows us to remove material in great quantities. It is important to know different kind of finishing or tool path strategies to develop better applications. The variety of tools that we have in the simulator makes the practice easy. I would like to practice with another kind of milling techniques.