by Frank Twomey | OSG USA

Recently, Ross Industries was tasked with reducing cycle times on all of its aluminum parts. OSG Territory Sales Manager Frank Twomey has been in touch with Ross Industries through a distributor for about two years ago. In need to optimize productivity, OSG was given with an opportunity to test cut the upper chamber 6061 aluminum alloy part used in Ross Industries’ tray sealers for food packaging.

Ross Industries has been producing these aluminum upper chambers for more than 25 years. Approximately 80 chambers are made annually along with thousands of other aluminum parts. The upper chambers are machined using a Doosan HM 1000 horizontal machining center with CAT-50 spindle taper.

Ross Industries was originally using a competitor 1.5-inch diameter indexable shoulder cutter for the application. The competitor tool was used at a speed of 6,000 rpm (2,358 sfm, 717.8 m/min), a feed rate of 120 ipm (3,048 mm/min), 0.005 ipt (0.127 mm/t), 0.3-inch (7.62 mm) radial depth of cut, 0.375-inch (9.525 mm) axial depth of cut, and at a metal removal rate of 13.5 inch3/min (221.2 cm3/min).

Upon a detail evaluation of the application, Twomey recommended OSG’s 3-flute 1-inch diameter AE-TL-N DLC coated square end mill (EDP# 86301809).

​The AE-TL-N DLC coated carbide end mill is extremely effective for non-ferrous materials such as aluminum alloys that require welding resistance and lubricity. With excellent cutting sharpness, it is able to suppress burrs to achieve superb surface finish.

The AE-TL-N features a unique flute form to enable trouble-free chip evacuation and a large core design for high rigidity to prevent chattering. Its center cutting edge configuration enables the tool to be used for plunging. Furthermore, with the addition of OSG’s DLC-SUPER HARD coating, long tool life can be achieved. This end mill series is available in square, sharp corner edge and radius types to accommodate a wide range of applications.

The AE-TL-N DLC coated carbide end mill was tested at a speed of 5,125 rpm (1,343 sfm, 408.7 m/min), a feed rate of 231 ipm (5,867 mm/min), 0.015 ipt (0.382 mm/t), 0.14-inch (3.556 mm) radial depth of cut, 1.62-inch (41.148 mm) axial depth of cut, and at a metal removal rate of 52.39 inch3/min (858.5 cm3/min). Cycle time on the upper chambers went from 34.5 hours to nine hours.
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By switching to the AE-TL-N, Ross Industries has reduced about 75 percent of cycle time on the upper chambers and is now on average achieving a 150 percent cycle time reduction on other aluminum parts.

“This end mill creates chips so fast that our machines chip conveyors couldn’t keep up,” said Ross Industries Machine Shop Manager Greg Williams. “We had to speed up the conveyors.”
Taken in consideration of factors such as tool change time, machine cost, labor, etc., it is estimated that an annual cost savings of $183,000 can be gained. In addition to the upper chamber part, Ross Industries has also converted all of its aluminum end mills to OSG’s AE-TL-N series in various sizes.

“With the performance and consistent tool life of the AE-TL-N we are able to run these tools lights out,” said Williams. “In some cases, it is able to achieve as much as four times the metal removal rate versus the competitor tool.”
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For more information on OSG’s AE-TL-N DLC coated end mill for non-ferrous materials and Ross Industries

In the aerospace industry, aluminium structural parts, such as wing parts and frame elements are generally milled from solid material. A buy-to-fly ratio of 22 (95 %) is not uncommon here.

New machine generations that have sufficient drive power and the necessary spindle speeds make the high-performance machining of aluminum parts cost effective. MAPAL has developed a new range of aluminium roughing mills especially for these machines.

The OptiMill-SPM (structural part machining) high performance mill is equipped with a cutting edge that makes up 60%-80% of its diameter. This represents the maximum contact depth for the high-performance milling of aluminum.

Thanks to a highly positive cutting edge geometry and optimised chip flutes, the cutting force of PCD mills is reduced by up to 15%. Even when milling on standard machines, this reduction in cutting force results in more efficient machining parameters, and hence in improved performance.

​The bottleneck form of the mill prevents the tool from bending during the machining process. Another advantage of this stable design 
is the clearance that is created between the wall of the part and the mill shank. This prevents chips from scratching the wall of the part, particularly if it has deep pockets.

OptiMill-SPM tools with internal cooling are available in a solid carbide design with a diameter range of 6 to 32 mm or in a PCD design with a diameter range of 6 to 50 mm as part of the standard range. The range of products also includes variants with the well-known CFS replaceable head system.

With an extensive and diversified range of tools for reaming, drilling and milling and many years of process experience, MAPAL places a huge focus on aluminium machining.

Two new products address additional customer requirements:

1. The PCD milling cutter FaceMill-Diamond-ES
2. The indexable insert milling cutter NeoMill-T-Finish

Both of these increase economic efficiency in aluminum milling applications.

The milling cutters have fewer cutting edges than the established FaceMill-Diamond tools, making them a more cost-effective and an “Economical Solution”. With a diameter of 50mm (1.96"), for instance, the FaceMill-Diamond-ES has five cutting edges, while the classic FaceMill-Diamond has twelve. Another difference is the area of application: The FaceMill-Diamond-ES is suitable for shoulder milling, trimming and machining thin-walled parts, as well as face milling.

The new milling cutter is available in the diameter range of 32mm(1.26") to 80mm (3.15"). Dimensions have not changed in comparison to existing FaceMill-Diamond models. Accordingly, it can be used directly in existing production, if, for example, the larger chip space of the new tools should be used. Cutting depths of up to 10 mm are easily possible.
All milling cutters in the FaceMill-Diamond-ES series can be reground and re-equipped. They are exclusively available as milling cutters for arbor mounting.

With the new system, customers can also use other cutting materials in addition to the PCD-tipped inserts, depending on application and workpiece material, such as uncoated carbide or carbide with CVD diamond or PVD coating. This means the optimum cutting material can be used for aluminium workpiece materials with different silicon content and casting processes (sand casting, pressure die casting and permanent mould casting).

The indexable inserts each have up to four usable cutting edges. An optimum version is available for every customer and every requirement, offering maximum economic efficiency and process reliability.
A patent-pending insert arrangement system is what makes the new milling cutter unique. The main inserts, which perform stock removal of up to 2.5mm (0.98"), are attached to the circumference. A wide finishing insert arranged axially is responsible for the ability to reach surface roughness levels of Rz = 1.5 µm.

The innovative system enables homogeneous wear and tear on the cutting edges: Thanks to the special arrangement of main inserts and wide finishing inserts, all main inserts have the same feed per tooth, smooth running for good surface quality and no burr formation.

The resulting longer tool life is reflected in a lower cost per part with a high level of process reliability.
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Each tool is adapted specifically to the customer’s requirements. Maximum economic efficiency and productivity are the top priority. The tool body is usually made from steel. If weight restrictions are in place, MAPAL manufactures the tool body in aluminum or with a weight reduction bore.

The NeoMill-T-Finish can be configured in the diameter range from 50mm (1.97") to 315mm (12.4") and can be ordered as a monolithic unit or an adaptive unit for milling holders with arbor.

​Cutting speeds of up to 6,000m/min (236,220IPM) and feed rates of 2.5mm (0.98" IPR) per revolution are possible in use.