A Milling Cutter for perfect surface finishes in Stainless Steels

On Stand H20-620 at MACH 2018, the latest line of CrazyMill Cool products from the Swiss tool manufacturer Mikron Tool, will be making their MACH exhibition debut. Now available from Floyd Automatic Tooling, the new CrazyMill Cool have been developed for milling small dimensions with the highest performance and quality. At the EMO 2017 show, a new ‘family member’ was added and this will receive a UK exhibition premiere at MACH.

The new four tooth finish milling cutter with shank integrated cooling is available in the diameter range of 1 to 8mm for milling depths of up to 5XD. This milling cutter is suitable for machining all materials up to a hardness of 54 HRC and its development has been focused upon stainless steels, titanium, heat resistant alloys and nickel and chrome-cobalt-alloys. Hence it is not surprising that these tools are especially convincing with extremely high performances levels when working with these materials.

The characteristics of the new milling tool are designed to reach the highest milling performance as well as best surface quality. As it is well known, the  conductivity of stainless and heat resistant materials is poor, resulting in overheating of the tool cutting edges. Mikron has developed a number of features to overcome this.

To control heat and ensure it is not absorbed by the workpiece or swarf, the latest Mikron Tool is offered with 3, 4 or 5 coolant ducts through the tool shank. This constantly delivers a massive coolant jet directly to the milling area, independent of the work position and possible interfering edges. The tool receives continuous coolant and does not risk any overheating. This makes it feasible to simultaneously work at high speeds, feeds and working depths. This results in a high chip volume and excellent tool life. Another advantage is the continuous flushing of chips from the milling area. This avoids a repetitive cutting of chips and the subsequent damage to the milled surface. 

The geometry is entirely focused on reaching a high milling performance and surface quality. This is achieved with a flute-angle of 30º on the shorter tools with cutting length 2XD, whereas the longer versions with cutting lengths 3.5 to 4.5XD have a progressive flute-angle increase from 30º to 40º. For both versions, the transition of 30º from the radius to the cylindrical section creates an optimal cutting-edge corner stability and smooth milling without vibrations.

Some manufacturers recommend to mill with fast feed and speed but with smaller milling path (ap), others try increased milling depths but reduce speeds and feeds. This is where the new “crazy” cutter differentiates in its use. High machining data is recommended for all parameters. 

Especially for high standards

Two versions of the CrazyMill Cool Ball Z4 are available with especially long cutting edges. These have progressive spiral flutes (from 30º to 40º) that guarantee vibration free milling. The angle of 30º at the tip avoids an accentuated interface between the cutting edges and the cylindrical section, reducing the risk of cutting edge break-out. These versions are especially suitable for side milling because the entire depth can be machined with minimal passes or even just a single pass.