Manual machinists love their fly cutters. But many machinists think that for CNC machining you should use a face mill for the best finish. Horse pucky. Physics are physics and geometry is geometry. Science and math don't change just because you machine by hand or with CNC. Every CNC machinist knows that you just use a
CNC fly cutter to get an the ultimate finish.
The Finishing Pass and the CNC Fly Cutter
Step one is to get the piece to the specified dimensions. You take pride in your work, so it's important the your final product looks good too. You always take one final step. That's the finishing pass. Here’s how to pull it off.
Control Chip Load. You must control the chips. When chips contact the work surface they can mess up the finish. Keep chips out of the way with air, coolant, or a combination of both. You know flooding the cutting area is important. If you don't know this, read more
here.
Control Feeds and Speeds. Keep your RPMs up. The less time the material spends in contact with the tool the less likely the edge will buildup. Less edge buildup equals a smoother finish. Whether you use the
CNC Cookbook or another g-wizard calculator make sure you’ve got it set up right.
Use the Correct Angle. Ensure the lead angle is correct. Use higher lead angles for better results. A correct tool nose radius is critical to the quality of the finish. Cleanly remove chips with the right chipload in relation to the radius of the cutting edge. If you have a large cutting edge radius in relation to the chipload, the cutter can’t get under the chip and cleanly slice it. When heat builds up you reduce the life of your tool.
Don't Allow Wobble and Chatter. Tighten your set screws properly. If you over torque you can create the same problem as not tightening enough.
set of fly cutters
Fly Cut with the Right CNC Fly Cutter
All the tips in all the blogs won't give you a good finish if you don't start with a good CNC fly cutter. Buy your CNC fly cutter from
The Tool Company. These CNC fly cutters are just better. They come in 3 sizes, ranging from 1 ½” to 2 ½” in diameter. Sold individually or in a set. The CNC fly cutters are the best because they are:
- American made
- Heat treated for long tool life
- Come with large set screws for more stability
- Balanced and ready to run at high RPMs.
When you want the best finish use the
best CNC fly cutter. Buy your fly cutter at The Tool Company. You'll get the best finish time and time again.
