High Speed Roughing Aluminum

High Speed Roughing Aluminum 6061 T6

This is a video of a roughing application that is running at above 500 ipm. There is an interesting side bar – It was posted on You Tube and for some reason the sound did not work. Maybe this is why several comments came in from people who believed it was a fake – they suggested that the footage was sped up and that this is not possible.

This skepticism reflects a problem that exists when people don’t continue their education or get outside their shop. The technology today enables so much more speed if you know how to leverage it. But it is difficult because without the ability to conduct some R&D on your part and really identify the right set-up you could miss an opportunity to run at much higher speeds.

It is possible to hold extreme accuracy at this speed with the right set-up. High speed machining is a complex science, but with the right programming, tooling, holders and machine, you can cut an incredible amount of cost out of every piece. Many manufacturers have not kept current with the advances in programming techniques and hardware and are unaware of the speed and efficiency that can be accomplished with today’s technology. Here are the specs from this job.

Set-up:
• Material: 6061 T6 Aluminum
• Cutter: Rocky Mountain single flute cutter
• Holder: BIG Kaiser ¾ milling chuck
• RPM: 15,000 on a rigid machine
• Step over: .200
• Depth of cut: .200
• Speed of material removal: 500 inches per minute

This video is presented courtesy of Hardmilling.com