Tools End Mill

An end mill in the hands of a skilled machinist is to industrial milling what a drill bit in the hands of a home handyman is to the do-it-yourself home construction project. Unlike a drill bit, however, almost any end mill can cut in any direction. The types of job for which an individual end mill is suitable depends on the end mill's specific type and geometry. Milling aluminum, for example, could require tools with an end mill having deep highly polished flutes and a well-sharpened cutting edge. For more abrasive metals like stainless steel, an end mill with shallow flutes and a blunt, square cutting edge will provide the most material removal without decreasing the life of the cutting tool. If you're unfamiliar with cutting tools end mill vocabulary, the number of flutes on an end mill determines whether it should be used for light or deep cutting. The more flutes it has, the deeper the cuts an end mill will make.

A cutting tool end mill with 3 flutes will be more rigid, and cut through metal with fewer interruptions, than one with 2 flutes. A 2 flute end mill, however, has the most "chip volume area," meaning that it can remove more metal (but with less accuracy) than a 3 or 4 flute end mill. Metalwork which requires side cutting requires an end mill with at least 4 flutes. Cutting tools with end mills are also used to cut concrete, textiles, plastics, and even fabrics. End mills are usually constructed from tungsten carbide, which has a melting point of 5200° F and a Mohs scale reading of between 8.5 and 9.0. (Diamonds have the highest Mohs scale rating of 10.) Because of their superior hardness and heat resistance, tools with carbide end mills simply outlast those of high speed steel.

Their heat resistance enables them to cut through metal much more quickly, with much less waste. A carbide end mill also requires less sharpening than one of high speed steel. End mills for cutting tools are produced on Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) grinding machines by wheels coated with substances harder than the materials they're grinding. In the case of tungsten carbide end mills, the wheels are surfaced with bonded industrial strength diamond. The entire line of cutting tools with end mills produced at Carbide Cutting Tools SC is manufactured using state-of-the-art CNC technology. Every end mill purchased from Carbide Cutting Tools must meet guaranteed accuracy and performance standards. Carbide Cutting Tools SC offers two lines of cutting tool end mill with 3 flutes: the Harmonicut AL End Mill 3 flute, and the Aluminum Fine Pitch Rougher End Mill 3 Flute.

The Harmonicut AL End Mill 3 flute has a zirconium coating, variable flute pitch, and alternate flute spacing specifically engineered for machining soft materials like aluminum. The Rougher End Mill 3 flute, also with zirconium coating, has a 42.5" helix angle for greater chip flow, making it ideal for machining aluminum. For factory-to-door delivery of your cutting tool 3-flute end mills or any of 3500 other machine cutting products, why not contact Carbide Cutting Tools SC Today?