Tried a 1/8 end mill on aluminum and got a surprise

I was running some aluminum parts last Thursday and figured I could push a 1/8 inch end mill at 180 inches a minute. Machine was screaming for about 30 seconds before the tool snapped clean off. Found the piece stuck in the chip guard like a tiny metal arrow. Learned that my Haas Mini Mill just can't handle that kind of chipload without some serious rigidity. Any other guys here try to push small tools too hard and end up with a mess like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

betty_perry2419d ago

Oh man, I gotta disagree with you here. That Haas Mini Mill is way more capable than you're giving it credit for, you just set it up wrong. I run 1/8 tools all the time at 200 IPM in 6061 and it works fine if you use a proper roughing pass and keep your stepover under 10%. Sounds like you went full slotting with that end mill and that's a recipe for disaster even on a Bridgeport. Blaming the machine instead of the toolpath is a cop out, honestly.

thomas_price19d ago

Betty, 200 IPM with a 1/8 tool? You got bigger cajones than me.

carr.abby19d ago

Bet it sounded wild before it let go. Gotta respect the tiny tools or they'll make you pay.