Old timer at the shop told me to switch to climb milling on aluminum parts

Been doing conventional milling for 2 years on our Haas VF-2ss in Tulsa. Bob, the guy who's been running CNC since the 80s, told me to try climb milling on these 6061 brackets I keep getting chatter on. I was worried about pulling the part out of the vise but he showed me his setup with a 0.050" finish pass. Worked so clean I cut 8 minutes off each cycle. Anyone else have an old hand change your whole approach?

2 comments

2 Comments

grayb6422d ago

Switched to climb milling on everything except roughing heavy stock now. That 0.050" finish pass is the real secret Bob showed you, keeps the cutter engaged and eliminates that jarring chatter you get with conventional. It took me a solid month to trust it on thin wall parts but once I dialed in the toolpaths I never looked back. The finish comes out so much better on 6061, almost like a mirror if you run the right speeds and feeds. Your 8 minute cycle savings sounds about right, it's crazy how much time you waste fighting conventional milling when the machine can just plow through smooth and clean.

reed.eva22d ago

Bob showing you that finish pass trick is basically a masterclass, and here I am still learning not to crash my toolpaths into the vise jaws on a good day.