Push Your Program to the Limit with Balanced CNC Tools.
Balanced CNC tools are a consideration when optimizing milling programs – particularly for roughing, finishing and deep milling in non-ferrous materials.
If you use a DATRON or any other HSC machine, you may be familiar with our line of single flute end mills. Most traditional machinists would utilize a single flute end mill for cutting soft materials, like thermoplastics or acrylics, but the geniuses at DATRON AG developed a line of single flutes specifically for milling non-ferrous materials, specifically aluminum. Coupled with a high RPM and a fast feed rate, our single flute cutters have a reputation for devouring aluminum at an impressive pace.
With high RPM being the most important feature to accompany a single flute end mill, DATRON had something clever in mind to combat vibration with larger diameter end mills (>6mm). DATRON calls it “Specially Balanced”.
As you can see in the picture, a healthy amount of material is removed from the backside of the cutting edge to balance the tool. What does this mean for the end user? A couple of key points:
- Reduced vibrations = reduced chatter marks
- Balanced tool = Higher RPM and higher feed rates
- Standard toric cut + Balancing = Long reach milling
For optimizing purposes, this is tremendous, since you can run the same diameter at 50% higher RPM, and therefore a 50% increase in feed rate while maintaining the same chip load. So, if you have a roughing operation in your current program that uses a 6mm single flute end mill, at 32,000 RPM and 2 meters a minute, replace the end mill with a balanced unit of the same size, and you can bump up your RPM and feed rate by 50%.
Just as well, if you have a situation where you need to mill a deep pocket, these tools can be a life-saver. Take this vacuum adapter we made:
At 1.75” deep, a 10mm balanced single flute had no problem removing all material from the inside of the cavity as well as cutting the part out on a vacuum table and left no chatter marks. DATRON offers balanced end mills that go over 3” deep, so you’re not too limited on what you can accomplish.
So, on your next project, consider a balanced end mill for your all your roughing, finishing, or deep milling needs.
