Used to swear by HSS endmills for aluminum. Just switched to carbide after fighting with tool wear on a big job.

Had a 500 piece run of 6061 parts last month. Was burning through HSS tools every 40 parts or so. Finally let my tool rep talk me into trying a 3 flute carbide variable helix. One tool did the whole job and the surface finish was way better. Now I'm wondering how much time I wasted over the years. Anyone else stubborn about switching tool materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_moore3913d ago

Wait, you got 40 parts out of an HSS endmill in 6061? I was changing them every 10-15 on similar runs. That's insane.

hannaho5213d ago

Ahh I hear you but honestly how many of those parts were really that critical? I mean sure 6061 is 6061 but unless you're running aerospace tolerances or some tight medical stuff the whole "oh no my surface finish was way better" thing kinda cracks me up. Nobody's gonna notice a 5 microinch difference on a bracket that's getting anodized anyway. And yeah variable helix carbide is nice and all but then you chip one hitting a clamp or a hard spot and you're out 80 bucks instead of 15. Just saying maybe it's not that deep.