Milling cutter for processing metal on a milling machine. Milling cutter

The machining of manufactured parts with a milling cutter presents many possibilities. Parts with the necessary grooves, grooves of various shapes are necessary for a high-quality finish. Operations for working with manual equipment on wood are performed with a special tool - cutters. Each type of action provides a different type of snap-in used.

Classification and types of cutters for wood processing

The power tool for working with lumber is a hand-held milling cutter. The surfaces of parts made of wood are subject to work using special devices. The manufacture of products requiring the necessary grooves, grooves and recesses implies the use. Before starting, you need to purchase accessories designed for specific purposes according to the configuration of the product.

The choice of a tool for processing wood takes place according to the specifications of the crafts. Professionals have sufficient experience and skills to use the right equipment. Wood milling cutter has many purposes:

  • In edging, it is used to join workpieces by splicing grooves.
  • Making grooves for use, installing hanging hinges, and other devices.
  • Decor making - in this case, a cutter is used for making a pattern or in processes for wood with a complex configuration.

The tool varies greatly in the type of configurations, purpose. Before starting the operations with the tree, it is necessary to determine the type and types used for the blanks. The unit of measure for the tail is calculated in millimeters or inches, depending on the type of router used. Common options are types of cutters with a diameter of 6 to 12 mm. It is worth focusing on the fact that the use of an inch collet and a millimeter tail is unacceptable, as this can cause equipment damage or injury.

The kit manufacturers provide for various modifications. On the construction market there is a large selection of types of hand-held milling cutters, depending on the purpose and the material used in the manufacture. Handheld tooling can be used for processing plastic and metal, but is most widely used in wood processing. The main varieties for working with wood.

  1. The production of grooves, the formation of recesses is carried out with end types of cutters.
  2. Grooving, the used cylindrical cutter for wood processes the required rectangular groove.
  3. Shaped accessories for wood are used in figured recesses, edges, allowing you to make the product unique.
  4. The edges are made in a bearing design, which allows you to make a product according to a template.

It is important to remember that the presence of a bearing in a hand cutter implies maintenance. It is necessary to lubricate the rotating element with a thin layer, this action is performed at the request of a long tool life.

End mills

The end fixtures are similar in design and appearance to a conventional drill. A distinctive feature is the absence of a tapered part at the end of the cutter. Cutting teeth are made on the end part located to the lateral sides at an angle of 90 degrees. The design feature allows for various operations. The main types of work performed include:

  • Manufacturing of products with grooves of a certain depth, through holes.
  • Cut out products.
  • Drilling or machining the edges of the part.

The main functions of a hand-held end-type milling cutter are to obtain in the part the grooves of locks and hinges installed in the doors. The set is multifunctional, with the help of prepared equipment and a competent approach, you can perform many interesting elements.

Edge mills for wood

Edging devices are used for the manufacture of various types of edges and grooves. Wood products lend themselves to processing by a hand router with full processing edge cutters. The edging look is the most common in use and has many modifications:

  • Profile kits process the parts in such a way as to give the required shape to the edges.
  • Crimping tools have the ability to round off the edge of the part by a quarter of a circle.
  • Tapered chamfers are often chamfered at 45 degrees.
  • Disc are used to make chamfers in parts, making subsequent connections possible.
  • Rebate machines process the part from the edge, leaving a quarter of the height.
  • Fillets are needed to make a groove, which is brought out in a quarter circle.

Wood bevelling cutters used for a hand router are often equipped with a bearing, the function of which is to limit the depth of the required machining. The overhang of the adjustment of the working area is made by adjustment on the tool itself. Machining massive parts takes a lot of trying. A hand milling cutter performs woodwork in several stages until the thrust bearing starts to work.

Groove cutters for wood

The main purpose of the groove type for wood is the manufacture of grooves using a hand-held power tool. There are enough varieties of devices, a groove cutter allows you to perform actions on wood with a hand mill. The main types of groove cutters:

  • Drill-like spirals are formed with an outer-type helical edge. They make it possible to manufacture parts with notches and slots at right angles.
  • Fillet - made with a rounded tip.
  • Cones are often used to manipulate planes.
  • Shaped ones allow you to make recesses of the required structure.
  • "T" shaped cutters "Dovetail".
  • Combined are used when joining large wooden parts.

Most of the types are made in a monolithic format, less often tooling made of carbide metal.

Copy cutters

The least common type of attachment when performing woodworking tasks with a hand-held tool is copy milling cutters. Distinctive features include a wide variety of cutting elements, different positions of thrust bearings and small dimensions. The milling head for woodworking is arranged in an arc shape. The indentation in the part depends on the machining angle.

Using the tool according to a template allows you to achieve the desired result when working with wooden blanks. It is necessary to use a hand router with precision and care, non-compliance with the requirements can lead to damage to the part or electrical equipment.

Cutter designs and their influence on the technology of production of milling operations

The considered instruments are divided into several main categories, classified by type and purpose. They perform their functions not only under axial load, they have the ability to move during operation, due to the presence of side edges. The cutting edges, or rather their number, directly depends on the quality of the actions performed by the hand mill.

The tool used for processing is considered to be a hand router. There are tools for execution of the crown type, they allow you to perform work with an ordinary drill. In this case, the milling head used for wood plays the role of edge processing, making simple holes.




The design and manufacture of products with grooves of the required depth and dimensions is carried out using end mills. Knives used for wood cutters are subject to considerable stress. Preventing over-machining through the use of bearings. Hand Router Face Mills allow you to create timber joins using a tenon / groove system.

To make the required hole in the tree, you need a burr. In most cases, such a tool is used for intermediate processing. Cutters allow you to "open" the hole to the required depth, after which further actions are performed.

Types of cutter design

There are many designs and varieties of accessories for a hand-held woodworking machine. When choosing a tool, you should pay attention to the purpose, the device of the equipment. The form of sharpening of cutters can be of two types - helical and straight. Using a straight form of sharpening can lead to rapid damage to the equipment, and the final product can be gouged and burr.

For woodworking with a hand router, the best option is to use a tool with a helical tooth line. The only drawback is the impossibility of sharpening with improvised means, in order to return the former sharpness, it is necessary to use special equipment. When using cutters, for work with a manual router on wood, you should pay attention to the sharpening angle. A wooden surface is best processed with a tool with a sharpening angle of no more than 90 degrees. Designed for efficient chip evacuation, maximizing tool action.




Prefabricated

The most common type on the market is prefabricated. Consists of a blank, welded over the edges. Their simple manufacture makes them the most attractive to the manufacturer. The relatively low price allows you not to waste time on sharpening, but simply replace it with a new one when the sharpness is lost.

With replaceable cutting edges

Cutters with replaceable edges. They have replaceable cutting edges, when there is a loss of knife sharpness on one side, it is possible to turn the tool over, then continue working.

Monolithic

Monolithic cutters have cutting edges at the base. They are distinguished by increased strength, however, after a short work and subsequent sharpening, the part quickly loses its cutting properties.

Types of cutter blades

The materials used in the manufacture of wood cutters differ in some characteristics. The first type of material is high speed steel. Products made from this material are marked with HSS symbols. With a hand tool, using this type of tool, it will be easy to handle softwood. Due to the sharpened properties, the working speed is increased in relation to the solid cutter.

The cutting part can be made of carbide metals. These products, designated HM, are primarily used in the processing of hardwoods. A distinctive feature is strength and resistance to high temperatures. It will be difficult to qualitatively process soft woods with such a cutter, since the frequency of actions performed differs markedly from high-speed materials.

Functional cutter sets

You can often find on sale functional sets that consist of two or more elements. This set includes accessories and attachments for a wood router. The main purpose of such sets is to process two or more parts to obtain the same type of connections. For example, there is a set of 2 cutters, one of which forms an edge inside the product, and the second allows you to make a groove part.

There are universal options that, due to their design, can be used for various purposes. The collapsible part involves replacing the cutter knives, after which work is done with the wood.

It is worth noting that the presence of a table for storing all types of equipment for equipment will reduce the time for the actions performed, and it is also possible to build a semblance of a milling machine. By installing movable stops on the table, the master expands the range of possibilities of the tool for woodworking.

Applications

The use of any type of equipment involves hazardous handling of rotating parts. When working with wood, you must remember about safety. The execution of complex elements is not done in one go, the edges of the cutter must be sharpened for the best result.


Wood carving with a router

Getting started, you should understand what type of cutter you need to use. The tool of the edging category has received a high prevalence. This category makes it possible to carry out almost all types of woodwork with your own hands. Groove or cylindrical cutters are mainly used for making recesses in the ends of the material.

How to choose a wood router for a manual router

The choice of cutters on the building materials market is very rich. The price range is varied, it is not always possible to determine whether the purchase is being made correctly. It is necessary to adhere to several basic conditions for the correct choice of cutters for wood.

  1. Quality. It is worth paying attention to the appearance of the part. The product must be free of burrs, have high-quality threads, seats.
  2. Thermal strength is indicated in the passport, the higher, the better and more reliable with further use.
  3. The solder material, as well as the connection of the tail to the part responsible for cutting.

The quality of the soldering of the product plays an important role when dealing with lumber. Then, when work is done with hard wood, a certain margin of safety of the tool is required. Solder is divided into types and brands, when buying, you need to pay attention to its quality in the cutter. It is advisable to pay attention to the tool, the grade of solder of which is not lower than PSr 37.5. The higher the number, the better the indicators of reliability and quality of the part. The brand is indicated in the composition by the amount of copper and silver. When connected by welding, the use of a router becomes unsafe and meaningless.

Solid cutters must be checked before use. The quality of the metal is determined by the cut. If there are noticeable scratches or cracks, then it is worth putting this tool aside. Optimum metal hardness from 58 units. The quality of the work performed by a hand mill directly depends on the availability of accessories and kits.

Finding the right tool is the right way to a good result when working with wood. A cutter made for a wood router must meet all standards and be of high quality. There are many sets that are designed for woodworking. A high-quality set guarantees not only completed tasks, but also safe work.

Hardware manicure is decisively replacing edged manicure. More recently, only masters in elite salons owned it. Now every woman can use a manicure machine at home.

This article will be useful for novice manicure masters. You will learn about the classification of hardware cutters, their minimum set for manicure at home and the nuances of choice.

Machine for hardware manicure ( milling cutter) is a special handle connected by a cord to the processor. Attachments, including cutters, are fixed on the handle. The processor is responsible for rotating the nozzles at the right pace and direction.

Machines differ in design, power and maximum speed of rotation of the nozzle.

For home use, devices with a speed range of no more than 10 thousand revolutions per minute are suitable, and masters in professional salons use equipment whose head rotates at speeds up to 30-35 thousand revolutions per minute.

Types of attachments

There are 5 main attachments that are used for the hardware manicure procedure.

Complete classification of cutters

To correctly compile the necessary list of cutters for a beginner, you need to carefully study their description and find out the purpose of each nozzle.

By material

  • Ceramic... The safest tips, as they are very soft. They do not heat up, do not get clogged with dust, do not rust. The main disadvantage is instability to wear. They are usually used when working with a recently purchased device to get used to it. Abrasiveness: 100 to 400 microns. Fine-grained cutters grind the nail plate and carry out finishing work with the skin; medium-grained are ideal for treating cuticles, while coarse-grained can effectively remove dead skin.
  • Diamond... More rigid, and therefore more functional. They are used for polishing nails, both natural and extended, modeling the free edge of the nail, processing and polishing the lateral ridges, interdigital space and calluses. On sale you can find both natural diamond (more expensive) and artificial diamond chips (cheaper).
  • How to choose the right nozzles for a manicure, the master will tell you:

  • Carbide or corundum... They are used at the beginning of a hardware manicure to remove a layer of coarse skin, drill out hard corn, remove a layer of acrylic, process in hard-to-reach places and work with an ingrown toenail. Ideal for working with artificial nails. They heat up very slightly during operation, which means they do not cause discomfort. The recommended number of revolutions for working with attachments is up to 15,000 rpm.
  • Steel... The teeth are formed by cutting or stamping. Often, tools are oxidized to improve performance.

Check out a more detailed review of nail cutters from a professional:

By form

The form Types of operations
Olive (kidney, oval) Removes cuticles, makes minor adjustments, treats lateral ridges.
Cylinder straight Saw off the modeling layer (tips, gel, acrylic).
Needle Removes gel polish, helps in the correction of gel nails, is suitable for removing detachments around the cuticle and artificial material.
Ball Eliminates small growths and cracks, and also removes a strip of rough skin without harm to the plate.
Rounded cylinder Polishes nails. Removes calluses, polishes acrylics.
Flame It processes side bolsters, removes artificial material, drills out a place for rhinestones or nail piercing.
Cone Grinds and polishes.
Truncated cone Grinds and polishes.
Pointed cylinder Opens sinuses, treats rollers.
Reverse cone For the treatment of the nail plate before the French manicure. With the help of the nozzle, it is possible to make the tip as flat as possible and without height differences.

All cutters differ in the diameter of the working part, as well as the degree of abrasiveness.

The nuances of choosing cutters for a manicure apparatus

  • The choice of diameter depends on the speed of your machine. The larger the cutter, the lower the speed you need to work with it.
  • If the nozzle is offered a warranty of only one year, then, most likely, it will serve you for a year. But on the other hand, such cutters weigh little and are quite cheap.
  • If you see the letter “T” in front of the part number, it means that the cutter is coated with titanium nitrite. This increases the cutting ability of the bit.
  • On the cutter shaft, you can see a strip of red, green (less often blue) or black. These bars indicate the type of notch: fine / medium, coarse / medium and extra coarse, respectively.

Knowledge of the ISO international standard system, or rather the marking of nozzles, will help to choose a high-quality cutter. The bit number is 15 characters with which you can find out all the properties of the tool.

Information that is encrypted includes

  • type of material for the working part of the rotating nozzle;
  • a kind of connection of the tip with the tails;
  • the total length of the cutter;
  • the shape of the working part of the cutter;
  • abrasiveness class;
  • type of teeth cutting;
  • diameter of the working part.

The video will help you choose the right cutters for home manicure:

A set of cutters for home hardware manicure

Thinking about what cutters a beginner will need to do hardware manicure at home? Pay attention to ceramic products that are good at removing excess length on their (that is, natural) nails.

To care for your gel nails, you will need a cone-shaped diamond cutter. It forms an inner curve and arch and removes unnecessary gel layers from the underside of the free edge.

Instructions: how to insert the cutter into the machine

There are several types of cutter clamping. It depends on them how to insert and remove the nozzle correctly.

  • Automatic clamping... The nozzle is simply inserted. As soon as you turn on the typewriter, it becomes jammed.
  • Swivel clamp... The nozzle is expanded or clamped by turning a special ring on the handle of the machine.
  • Screw clamp... It is the cheapest type of clamp and is also easier to repair than others. The principle of operation is as follows: the cap, which fixes the nozzle in the collet, rotates 1-2 turns.

Care of cutters

Cutters must be disinfected separately from hand tools. For this, a special container with a sieve insert is used.

All disinfection procedures should be carried out only with solutions intended for this.

Not all cutters can be sterilized at home. Some nozzles: ceramic, silicone, cannot be reused at all.

To ensure 100% sterility of cutters, they must be stored in a UV sterilizer equipped with germicidal lamps.

If you still have questions about working with cutters, their choice or existing varieties, the video, which can be found in large quantities on the Internet, will help you to choose the right set of nozzles.

A metal cutter is a special tool used to cut metal workpieces. This is done through translational-rotational movements. This type has a large number of varieties, due to which the range of operations performed with its help is very large.

Today we will tell you how such a tool works and find out what types of cutters exist for metal.

Appointment of cutters for metal

The cutter itself is the initial part of the movement, and when processing the workpiece it comes into contact with its surface. This tool is characterized by a large number of types of work surface.

Due to the fact that there are different types of cutters for metal, material sampling can be performed even in the most difficult areas. But at the same time, it is extremely important to choose one or another type of instrument, as well as the method of its presentation. It can be translational-rotational, screw, etc.

Cutting edges are made from materials such as:

  • some grades of steel;
  • hard alloys;
  • diamonds;
  • ceramics;
  • carded wire, etc.

Classification

Cutters for metal differ from each other in the following ways:

There are more types, taking into account different characteristics, but it will take a long time to list all without exception.

Varieties and application

Each type of cutter is used only at a certain technological stage of material processing ... It all depends on what the task is..

For example, cylindrical ones are of two types:

  • screw;
  • with straight teeth.

The latter type is used for more primitive tasks and mainly in narrow confined areas. But milling cutters with cutting screw parts have a more universal purpose.

But since the axial forces can be significant, the use of such a tool is limited by the angle of inclination of the cutting edge, and this is not more than 450. It is in such cases that it is required to install cylindrical twin tools. This design is characterized by the fact that during the processing of materials, the cutting parts overlap the junction of the halves.

Disk

A key feature of these tools is that cutting edges can be placed on one or both sides. The size of the structure determines the specifics of the material handling. It can be preliminary rough or fine finish. Also, disk cutters can be used in difficult conditions, in particular, with increased vibration or if there is difficulty in removing metal chips.

Areas of application are as follows:

  • trimming metal blanks;
  • slotting of grooves;
  • chamfering;
  • sampling of material on a narrow segment, etc.

Disk-type tools are of the following types:

  • detachable;
  • slotted;
  • groove;
  • for cutting from 2 or 3 sides.

In slotted structures, the teeth are placed exclusively on a cylindrical surface; they are used only for processing shallow slots. Double-sided cutters, in addition to end teeth, are equipped with teeth located on the surface.

Three-sided disc products are characterized by the fact that the teeth are located not only on the two ends, but also on the surface.

Despite the fact that these tools often have sheared teeth, they have high productivity. So, in order to cut narrow grooves or slots on the workpieces, they use fiery cutters, which are called saws. They begin to sharpen the chamfers from one end, then from the second. The chamfer often cuts half the length of the cutting edge, so each tooth removes chips less than the slot width. Thanks to this, the chips are able to freely stay in the dental cavity, and their removal is improved.

And if the cut in width corresponds to the groove, then the ends of the chips will be in contact with the sides of the groove being cut on the sides. All this will somewhat complicate free placement. chips in the tooth cavity, and the cutter itself may fail.

End

Such tools are mainly used for processing products with a flat or stepped surface. It should be placed in such a way that the longitudinal axis is perpendicular to the surface to be processed.

A characteristic feature of end tools is that in the area of ​​their contact with the workpiece, the teeth have an increased density. This allows the material to be processed evenly and at high speeds. And additional end edges allow you to make the surface more "frequent" when machining with a milling machine.

These edges serve additional functions, but the key work is done with the sharpened edges on the sides, which are placed outside the part. And even taking into account the small size of the allowance, this allows you to perform the work quite smoothly. This is achieved due to the fact that the angle of contact of face mills with the material depends on the diameter of the cutting tool, as well as the width of the milling process.

If we compare the end one with the cylindrical one, then it is more massive and rigid. Cutting tools are securely in place and well placed.

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Face milling has a high productivity, and today most of the planes that are milled are processed using this method.

Other types of instruments

Hole milling cutters have a specific field of application. In this case, the material is processed using the rolling method. The selection of blanks is carried out in the process of point contact with the cutter. Depending on the direction of their screws, they can be right-handed or left-handed, they can also be single or multi-threaded, solid or assembled, have ground or unpolished teeth.

End products are used for the processing of ledges, grooves and more. Their shanks can be cylindrical or tapered. They are also intended for preliminary processing of materials (with coarse teeth) or finishing, with fine teeth. They can be equipped with soldered cutting inserts or be monolithic.

Roughing end tools are used to machine forged or cast alloys. And with the help of keyed products, T-profiles are sampled. They have two teeth, one at the end and the other in the middle. The parameters of the workpiece sampling zone are determined by the interval between them.

The main work (cutting) is carried out by means of the main cutting edges located on the cylindrical surface. And with the help of auxiliary cutting edges, the bottom of the groove is cleaned, the teeth are often inclined or helical.

Another type of similar tool is cut-off th. With their help, complete or partial cutting of metal blanks is carried out. The cutting edges are located only on the upper edges of the teeth, but they are not on the edges.

Depending on the size of the teeth, cut-off cutters are:

  • large;
  • average;
  • small.

At the same time, small and medium ones are used for trimming steel and cast iron, and large ones are used for processing light magnesium, aluminum and other alloys.

For processing metal products, most often craftsmen use a cutter. Moreover, it can be simultaneously equipped with several types of teeth, cutting edges or blades. This tool can have different profiles, shapes, types, sizes and applications. We have already discussed some types of cutters for metal and the features of their application and work above.







Milling is one of the most common processing methods. In terms of productivity, milling surpasses planing and, in the conditions of large-scale production, is second only to external broaching. The kinematics of the milling process is characterized by a fast rotation of the tool around its axis and a slow feed movement. The feed movement during milling can be rectilinear-translational, rotary, or helical. With a rectilinear movement of the feed, the cutters process all kinds of cylindrical surfaces: planes, all kinds of grooves and grooves, shaped cylindrical surfaces (Fig. 84).

Rice. 84. Milling schemes

With a rotary feed movement, milling surfaces of rotation, and with a helical feed movement, all kinds of screw surfaces, for example, chip grooves of tools, cavities of helical gears, etc.

A milling cutter is an initial body of revolution, which during machining touches the surface of the part, and on the surface of which cutting teeth are formed. The shape of the original body of revolution depends on the shape of the machined surface and the position of the cutter axis relative to the part. By changing the position of the tool axis relative to the machined surface, you can design various types of cutters designed to manufacture a given part.

The main parts of the cutters and elements of their cutting part are shown in Fig. 85.


Rice. 85. Elements of cutters

The variety of operations performed on milling machines has led to a variety of types, shapes and sizes of cutters.

This article gives an idea of ​​the cutters used on CNC milling machines in various situations.

End mills

The most common are end mills. End mills belong to the group of cutting tools used in industrial milling and differ from other milling cutters in the field of application, geometry of the working surface, mounting in the spindle of the milling machine and production methods.


Tungsten carbide or high speed steel?

Usually the materials from which end mills are made are tungsten carbide (they are called carbide) or high speed steel, but exotic options such as powder metal alloys come across as well. For workshops with an industrial scale of production, the question of choosing one or another material is usually not worth it - carbide is used everywhere, i.e. tungsten carbide, as it is believed that they are universal, and in general - better in all aspects. However, it turns out that everything depends on the material being processed, as well as on the maximum spindle speed of the machine and some other parameters. If you are working with softer materials such as aluminum and the spindle speed is not able to reach the recommended speeds for a carbide milling cutter on aluminum, then it might be more rational to use HSS end mills. For end mills with a diameter of 15 mm and more, when used in small machines with a spindle speed not exceeding 6000 rpm, HSS is recommended for cutting aluminum, and carbide for cutters of smaller diameters. This will not only avoid the high cost of large end mills, but it will also keep the rigidity of small end mills at the required level.

Dimensions of end mills for CNC milling machines

End mills come in a variety of sizes in both metric and imperial systems. There are also micro milling cutters for processing extremely small parts. Diameter tolerances for most end mills often have some variation. If your work requires increased precision, you will most likely need to make a test cut to determine the exact diameter of the end mill. Naturally, you can measure it directly using, for example, a micrometer, but a test section test is the most reliable way.

Micro-cutter

Number of cutter teeth

The number of teeth on an end mill is important and depends on the material you want to machine and the capabilities of your machine. The most common options are 2, 3 or 4 flute cutters. For example, you should not use a cutter with more than three teeth for working on aluminum. Aluminum produces coarse chips that tend to hammer the cutter flutes tightly, even at moderate cutting speeds. The grooves in the 2-flute and 3-flute cutters have sufficient clearance and are convenient for working with aluminum. For most other materials, the use of 4 flute cutters is the generally applicable standard. Increasing the number of teeth is a kind of "spindle speed multiplier". For a given spindle speed, a 4-flute cutter can work twice as fast with a 2-flute cutter and will generally produce a smoother surface. There are also many other less common varieties. End mills with more than 4 flutes are great for increasing productivity in tough materials such as titanium where spindle speed is often not enough.

Center cutting or not?

Most 2- and 3-flute end mills are center cut. Some 4 flute cutters are not. The center-cutting end mill can be plunged directly into the material. Non-center cutters have a groove in the middle, without a cutting edge, so that the plunge stroke in the material is very limited. The only advantage of off-center cutters is their low cost. Speaking of cost, both double-sided and single-sided end mills can be purchased, one double-sided is much cheaper than two single-sided. But not all machines have the ability to use double-sided cutters.


Center cutting on the left, non-center cutting on the right.

Double-sided end mill

About working length

The longer the working part, the less the rigidity of the tool. Working aggressively with a long nose cutter will cause bending, which can lead to tool breakage. Thus, we can conclude that you should give preference to cutters with a short working part, using long ones only in cases where there is no other choice.

Working length

Bending cutter

End Mill Coatings

Good coverage can dramatically increase the productivity of an end mill and its service life. There are many coatings available, both ubiquitous, exotic and expensive. Most of these coatings are named according to their chemical composition, such as:

  • Endmills with titanium and aluminum titride (AlTiN) coated endmills created using the cathode arc deposition process;
  • TiN (base coat with a yellowish color, which has recently disappeared from widespread use);
  • TiCN (popular bluish gray coating);
  • TiAlN and AlTiN (extremely popular dark violet coating);
  • TiAlCrN, AlTiCrN and AlCrTiN (polycrystalline diamond (PCD) coating).

Advances in the development of advanced coatings for end mills are made every year. Many premium workshops already use amorphous and nanocomposite polycrystalline diamond (PCD) coated tools. The use of coated or uncoated end mills depends on the ratio of the economic benefits of the latter to the technological advantages of the former.

End mill geometry

Cutter performance can be influenced by both coating type and geometry. Now a great variety of milling cutters of the most diverse shapes are being mass-produced, but some decisions are very controversial. For standard tasks, you should rather choose the time-tested classic end mills, leaving the bizarre cutters for those who like to experiment.

Rough end mills

Rough end mills, such as the one shown in the image below, have small teeth on the teeth called chipbreaker cutters. These teeth serve the following purposes: firstly, they crush the chips, which makes it easier to remove them from the hole, and secondly, they reduce vibration and stabilize. Roughing end mills are not very expensive and can provide significant productivity gains.

Ball nose end mills

So far, we have talked about end mills mainly used for machining flat surfaces, and in the vast majority of cases this is sufficient, but for 3D machining you will have to use ball end mills. Ball (end) cutters create funnels with a specific radius or recesses. Also, with the help of such cutters, protrusions can be formed, i.e. freeform reliefs. Such a tool is presented with 2, 3, 4 or six prongs. The cutter profile is spherical. The angle of the spherical cutting area is 180 degrees. Models are produced with an angle of exactly 180 degrees. To eliminate chips, the cutter has spiral grooves.


The mold often needs 3D processing


Spherical cutter


Forming ridges with a ball cutter