3 Reasons to Put a Dynamic Spin on Your Hard Milling Efforts

By Gary Meyers, Product Manager - Milling

With the mold and die industry’s increased workloads these days, many shops are investing in new state-of-the-art equipment to effectively tackle hard milling applications and increase productivity. As part of this latest trend, dynamic milling techniques are becoming increasingly popular, especially when using solid carbide cutting tools. Perhaps it’s because newer machine tools provide the higher feed rates and RPMs necessary for successful dynamic milling.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dynamic method for milling, it’s an optimized roughing approach that combines large cutting depths with relatively small radial engagement when cutting steel. This strategy is also very effective when machining at 60 Rockwell or harder. This method, also known as peel milling, peels off small amounts of material at high speeds and feed rates.

Here are three ways dynamic milling can make a big difference when working with a wide range of steels:

1. With this technique, the tool path constantly adjusts to ensure the most efficient cut possible by maintaining constant chipload and engagement of the cutter. Furthermore, an optimized toolpath maximizes material removal rates.
2. Dynamic milling utilizes the cutting tool’s entire flute length, which helps eliminate the need for multiple depth cuts.
3. With the required CAM programming, dynamic milling can increase removal rates by up to 300 percent when compared to traditional methods.

Dynamic milling removes a lot of material at a very high feed rate, which creates pile-ups of big, long chips that can clog and damage a machine’s conveyor. Therefore implementing the right cutting tool is crucial.

Seco created the Jabro™ Solid² JS554 3C for just these situations. It’s a high-performance four-flute shoulder end mill with a long cutting edge and built-in chip splitters.

The JS554 3C uses its chip splitters to break the chips up into to a small, manageable size, resulting in improved chip evacuation from the cutting zone as well as from the machine. Furthermore, the JS554 3C’s full cutting length and chip splitters, when combined with the dynamic milling method, generate increased levels of productivity and significantly higher tool life due to a consistent load.

If you have questions about dynamic milling techniques or our new JS554 3C, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

About the Author

Gary works closely with product development, marketing and field sales to effectively launch new Seco milling products into the market as well as ensure their long-term success. Outside of work, he enjoys outdoor activities, which includes running 5k and 10k races in the summer and downhill skiing in the winter. Contact Gary at gmeyers@secotools.com.

VIDEO: Jabro™- Solid² JS554 3C