CNC'ers use Fly Cutters Too

Ask any manual machinist and they will tell you if you want a very fine finish, a fly cutter is the only tool to use. For most finishing jobs, CNC'ers use a face mill, but the best CNC'er knows that for the best finish, you've got to use a fly cutter.

Face Mill versus Fly Cutter

Someone once said that the finest aluminum finish on Earth is achieved with a fly cutter with a diamond insert. Well if that is true for a manual machinist it is most certainly true for a CNC machinist as well. Sure you can get that face mill to spin at a higher speed, but slow and steady is what gives you a lustrous, brushed finish. In order to get your face mill to produce that finish without any run out you've got to remove all the cutters but one. That means you just turned your face mill into a fly cutter. So why not just start with a fly cutter? You know that your fly cutter can get into places your face mill just can't go. So don't use a face mill when a fly cutter is the right tool for the job.

Fly Cutter Tips

Use these tips and you can get a flawless finish on even the toughest to work materials like titanium or stainless steel. Feeds and Speeds – With the right combination of feed rate and speed and you can machine anything. A material is only difficult because it can only be machined in a small range and has no tolerance once you get outside that range. Use a good calculator like the CNC Cookbook to account for all the variables. Coolant – Certain materials machine just work better with coolant and some materials require coolant to be machined. That means you should use some form of coolant. You don't need a flood if a mist will do. Coolant is important to stop stainless from hardening. You know you need it to stop aluminum chips from welding to the cutter. Keep Chips Clear – Speaking of chips, you have to make sure that you keep the chips clear. It doesn't matter if you use a liquid coolant or blow an air mist, just keep those chips clear. Recutting chips that aren’t cleared is just as bad as double dipping your potato chip. Ain't nobody happy. Those chips just make the tool work harder. Just clear chips as fast as they are made.

Use the Best Fly Cutter

Just like anything else, your finish is only as good as your start. Make sure you start with the finest cutter available. The Tool Company only carries the finest fly cutters They are available in 1½”, 2”, and 2 ½” diameters. They are heat treated for a longer life and manufactured to reduce chatter. They are perfectly balanced for higher RPM usage so speed is not a problem. The Tool Company only sells fly cutters that are manufactured in the USA. We pledge to never sell you an inferior tool made overseas. Each fly cutter comes with a 5 year warranty. If you demand quality and you demand a Sierra American fly cutter from The Tool Store. Order today for fast shipping!