Incorrect speeds and feeds are a surefire way to make terrible noises, break tools, and scrap parts. Initial attempts to machine this hardened ring gear made noises that would make any machinist shudder. Through experimentation, we optimized a recipe that is reliable, leaves a great surface finish, and provides good tool life.
McMaster-Carr is great for finding a part, making small orders, and even grabbing CAD models or drawings for hardware. Keep in mind however it can get expensive – if you’re buying in volume, spend the time to source your parts directly for a lower price.
Deep pockets with tight radius corners are a real headache. Imagine a 2″ deep pocket that needs 1/8″ radius corners. The biggest end mill that can get in the is 1/4″. But with a 2″ deep pocket, you’re facing an end mill with an 8:1 length to diameter ratio. It’s going to want to deflect like crazy, so you’ll have to go super slow to get it done. Plus, a smaller cutter is going to have to go slow everywhere else in the pocket. The bigger the pocket, the longer this will all take.
This article originally appeared as an In The Loupe blogpost. In today’s ultra-competitive industry, every machine shop seeks even the slightest edge to gain an advantage on their competition and boost their bottom line. However, what many machinists don’t know is that improving their shop’s efficiency might be easier than they thought. The following five ways your shop is inefficient will provide a clear starting point of where to look for machinists desperate to earn a competitive edge.
This article is in reference to a previous article and class from Autodesk University related to surface finish.
