Just ran my 500th part on this new end mill before swapping it

I was cutting some 6061 on the VMC and figured I'd get maybe 300 pieces before the finish went bad. The tool just kept going and the edges still looked sharp under the loupe at part 500. What's the most parts you've ever gotten from a single end mill on aluminum?

3 comments

3 Comments

brookep273mo ago

Used to believe tool life was mostly about feeds and speeds. Had a job running 7075 where we'd kill an end mill every 150 parts like clockwork. Switched to a different brand coating on a whim, got over 800 pieces. Changed my whole view on how much the tool itself matters.

karenhenderson3mo ago

Still seems like operator error to me. Probably just got lucky with that batch of material. Good tooling helps, but setup and programming are way more important.

patkelly27d ago

@brookep27 is right on about the coating thing. I remember reading somewhere that the right coating for the right material can literally double your tool life. I ran a job on 6061 a while back where I was swapping end mills every 400 parts just to be safe. Then I read about some newer AlTiN coatings and tried them on a whim. Got over 900 parts before I even started to see any real wear. It's wild how much the little stuff matters.