Announcements
Attention for Customers without Multi-Factor Authentication or Single Sign-On - OTP Verification rolls out April 2025. Read all about it here.
zwelsh91
in reply to: num1bryanp

After a fairly quick look at your shared link, there a few things that stand out. First you will probably be able to do what you are trying to with a 2 flute cutter but in common practice a 4 flute would work best in steel. Second the pocket tool path may not be the best option for what you are trying to accomplish. Have you tried using a contour with ramping turned on then going in after and doing a finish pass at depth or a couple depths?  by looking at the shape, my inclination would be to use a 1/2 or 3/8 diameter tool 4 or 5 flute and ramp down to the bottom and finish afterward. I would suggest in 1018 to run between 100 and 250 sfm and a chip load of .0015 to .003 ipt  (these are conservative numbers) using ramp, set the ramp pitch to .03-.04 depth per pass. if you have coolant flood it or if you have air blast down into the slot to evacuate the chips. In the ideal situation you could drill a series of holes inside the slot with a diameter just under the width of the slot to remove most of the material then come in and ramp to the bottom so your cutter is not having to make all of those chips.

Zak Welsh
Zakary Welsh Machine LLC