High-speed cutting method for increased tool life

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Reduced and constant engagements throughout the entire pass

Another way to eliminate negative effects in traditional plunging is to maintain reduced and consistent tool engagement. Profit-Turning breaks the cutting surface into manageable pieces and uses round inserts to roll in and out of the cut to control the engagement at both tool entry and exit. With smooth roll-in movements and a smaller feed rate, the cutting force at tool entry can be significantly reduced and maintained at a constant level. The feed rate is also maximised during these straight line movements, called parallel moves, maintaining constant engagement, and then reducing engagement when exiting the cut.

Mastercam Simulator Auto Start is a new feature, which allows Mastercam Simulator to immediately begin to play once a sufficient amount of data has been transferred. (Mastercam; © Can Yesil / Fotolia.com)

Not all cutting areas are as smooth and easy to reach. Fortunately, Profit Turning provides cutting strategies for all small and uneven areas. These areas are often defined by part profiles, roll-in/out arcs, and the minimum trochoidal radius. The minimum trochidal radius is determined by users to limit the size of trochoidal moves in small corners where a cutting tool cannot easily fit. Another challenge in these difficult-to-reach areas is to keep constant tool engagement so that the roll-in arc radius is not too large.

To handle this challenge, Profit Turning employs full trochoidal cutting inside these small areas until the tool reaches the “minimum trochoidal radius” as defined by the user. The minimum trochoidal radius then sets the size of the non-machinable area at sharp corners and the stepover is reduced to maintain constant tool engagement. Profit Turning uses round inserts or the full radius of groove tools to achieve higher feed rates in order to maintain a constant or near-constant chip load. This is referred to as the chip-thinning effect.

In addition, Profit Turning reduces vibration and irregular cutting forces, which can result in poor surface finish and cutting tool damage by using round inserts with engagement control. In turn, this makes Profit Turning ideal for cutting hard materials and super-alloys with thin walls.

Half of the diameter of the insert, the feed rate per tooth and chip thickness are identical for a round insert. This is similar to a 90 degree cutter.

As the lead angle of the cutter changes and depth of cut decreases, the feed rate can be increased in order to maintain the proper chip thickness. Where depth of cut is lacking, users can make up for it with an increased feed rate, which results in increased productivity.

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