DESIGN OF MILLING

CUTTERS

Profile-Sharpened Milling Cutters

 Profile-sharpened
milling cutters are
sharpened by
grinding a narrow
land, mainly on the
tooth flanks.
The advantages of
these cutters are
their longer life.

 Comparative investigations have

shown that
1. The life of these cutters is from 1.5 to 3
times that of form-relieved cutters,
2. Simple manufacture (except for form
cutters) and
3. Their capacity for producing a better
surface finish.

(a) Trapezoidal

(b) Parabolic

(c) Double-back shape

Profile-Sharpened Plain Milling

Cutters

 Straight-flute plain
milling cutters are
very seldom used at
the present time
because of their
non-uniform cutting
action.
Only cutters of
narrow width, such
as side milling
cutters, may have
straight teeth.

 Plain milling cutters from 60 to 90 mm in

diameter are used mainly for a depth of cut
up to 5 mm,
From 90 to 110 mm for a depth of cut up to 8
mm, and
From 110 to 150 mm for a depth of cut up to
12 mm.
The face width of the cutter should be
somewhat larger (from 2 to 5 mm) than the
width of the workpiece.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The cutter diameter D is an important

constructional element.
Dependent upon the cutter diameter are
such factors as
Heat removal,
chip thickness,
number of teeth,
shape of the teeth and the
Diameter of the mounting hole.

A Larger cutter diameter is more

advantageous.
1. This enables a larger and more rigid
arbor to be used,
2. The teeth and flutes can be arranged
more expediently and
3. The number of teeth can be increased,
4. Heat removal is improved and the
5. Feed per minute can be increased.
On the other hand, the amount of material
required for the cutter and its cost are
increased,

 Denoting the
diameter of the
mounting hole by d.
the thickness of the
body by m and the
height of the tooth
by H the cutter
diameter can be
calculated by the
formula

D=d+2m+2H

Cutter and Arbor Diameters, mm

Depending upon their purpose, cutters are

classified as:
1. coarse-tooth, i.e. cutters with a large pitch
and a small number of teeth and
2. fine-tooth, i.e. cutters with a small pitch and
a large number of teeth.
The teeth are stronger in cutters with a coarse
pitch.
A large tooth carries heat away from the
cutting edge more efficiently,
permits a greater number of sharpenings and
the flutes provide more chip space.

A disadvantage of coarse-tooth straightflute cutters is that they do not operate

smoothly.
For these reasons, coarse-tooth cutters
are used for roughing and fine-tooth
cutters only for finishing.
Usually

z = m.D

 Fine-tooth plain
milling cutters are
commonly used for
finishing and semifinishing.
They are unsuited
for roughing since
the tooth pitch is
small and chip
space is inadequate.

 These cutters
have a helix angle
=30 to 35;
They have from
10 to 12 teeth.

 Coarse-tooth plain milling cutters have

fewer teeth (6 to 18) and a helix angle
=40.
Since the helix angle ranges from 30
to 45, provisions should be made for
taking up the axial force which may be
of considerable magnitude.
The effect of the axial force can be
excluded by using interlocking cutters.

Interlocking plain milling cutters

can only be used in a set.

 One cutter has right-hand and the other

left-hand flutes.
Axial forces are counter balanced since
they are opposite in direction.
The set consists of two cutters: righthand and left-hand;
The interlocking joint is designed so
that the cutting edges of one cutter
over-lap the cutting edges of the other.

 This is done by
making
projections and
recesses at the
end faces of the
mating cutters.
The projections
of one cutter
enter the
recesses of the
other.

 In order to have the

projections opposite
the corresponding
recesses, it is
necessary that angle 1
be maintained.
This is the angle
between one of the
teeth and the keyway.
Such cutters have a
small number of teeth
(4 to 6)

 Beginning with a diameter of 100

mm and larger, plain milling cutters
are usually of inserted-blade
construction.
This saves expensive high-speed
steel, lengthens the service life of
the cutter body and simplifies heat
treatment.

Inserted-blade interlocking plain

milling cutters with a 45o helix angle

 The cutter body

has tapered slots
with longitudinal
serrations on one
wall.
Parallel blades
with a serrated
back are inserted
into the slots.

 The blades are

clamped by plain
wedges with a 3
taper.
Before
sharpening, the
blades can be
raised one or
more serrations
in the slots to
restore the initial
diameter.

Plain milling cutter with brazed

helical tips of carbide

 In comparison with
high-speed steel
cutters the use of
cutters with brazed
helical tips of
cemented carbide
enables the output
to be increased by
three to five times
and cutter life is
enhanced from two
to five times.

Shell end mill with tapered

serrated blades

 Body of the
cutter, made of
structural steel,
has blade slots
tapered to an
angle of 5.
The blades are
driven into the
slots where they
are held by
friction.

 After sharpening
the cutters
several times the
blades can be
raised by one
serration in the
slots to restore
the initial
diameter of the
cutter.

Setting over blades that are

tapered in two directions

 The cutter consists

of a body and
blades, but the
blades and the slots
in the body are
tapered in two
directions:
5 lengthwise and
230' crosswise.
This means that the
slot is wider toward
the bottom.

 The second taper

angle (230')
provides dual
adjustment.
As the blade is
raised in the slot to
the next ser ration, it
also advances in the
body, increasing the
overhang at the face
of the cutter

 As a matter of
fact, if a blade
with only a single
5o taper is set
over one
serration it will
occupy position //
and its overhang
from the body will
not be changed.

 If the blade and

slot are tapered in
two directions, (5
and 230'), the
blade will occupy
position /// when it
is raised one
serration and the
over- hang from
the body will be
increased.

Face milling cutter with the

blades sharpened separately

 The blade 2 is set in

body 1 in reference
to the precisely
finished walls of the
slots.
A fixed amount of
overhang of the
blades is maintained
with the aid of
adjusting screw 3
and setting ring 4.

Shell end mill having inserted blades with

mechanically clamped throw-away pentagonal
carbide inserts

 The cutter has a

pentagonal
cemented-carbide
insert 1 which is
fitted on pin 2
secured in blade
3.
Wedge 4 and
socket screw 5
hold blade 3 in
cutter body 6.

Slot milling cutter

Half-side milling cutter

Staggered-tooth side milling cutter

Interlocking side milling cutter

Inserted-blade half-side milling cutter

Inserted-blade side milling cutter

Form-Relieved Milling Cutters

As a rule, form-relieved teeth are
designed on cutters intended for
milling contour surfaces.
The principal feature of a form-relieved
tooth is that it is sharpened by grinding
only the tooth face, thus preserving the
profile throughout the life of the cutter.

Principles of cutter relieving and

relief angles

 As the workpiece
(cutter being
relieved) rotates
uniformly, the
relieving tool
advances uniformly
toward its centre.
The amount of relief,
or relief value,
characterizes the
advance of the
relieving tool.

 From the curvilinear

triangle ABC,
AB = (.Dc)/z and
BC = K.
K = AB. tan
.Dc
K = -------- tan
z

 This is the main formula for

determining the relief value K.
Let us now determine the relief angles
of a relieved tooth at various points
along the profile.
The shape of the profile is of prime
importance in selecting the relief angle.

 If we consider a
portion of AB of the
cutter profile to the
cutter axis, its relief
angle will be constant
and equal to
K.z
= arctan ------.Dc
Since K, Dc and z dont
vary

 The portion BC is
inclined at an angle .
The relief angle
measured in a plane
perpendicular to the
cutter axis will vary
along this portion
because diameter Dc
gradually decreases to
Ds.
Since Dc > Ds,the relief
angle at point C will be
larger than at point B.

 The relief angle x in

the normal section
I-I can also be
determined.
For this purpose, we
construct triangle
MNL with side K1
and hypotenuse K.

 If the radius of the point being considered

is taken into account, then the relief angle
in a section perpendicular to the cutting
edge for any point of the cutter profile will be
determined by

Where R = outside radius of the cutter

rx = radius at the point being considered

Angular relieving

 In angular
relieving, the
relieving tool
travels, not
perpendicular
to the cutter
axis, but at
some angle to
it.

 In triangle D1CD,
side K1 represents
the displacement of
point D in a plane
perpendicular to the
cutter axis, and side
K2 is the
displacement in a
plane parallel to the
axis.

 Then the angle of

inclination of the
tool slide in
reference to a plane
perpendicular to the
cutter axis is
determined from the
equation

K2
tan = ---K1

 The relief value required for selecting the

cam is

The calculated value of K can be rounded off

to the nearest one that can be obtained by an
available cam in the set.
Relief value K can be determined if either K 1
or K 2 and angle are known. Thus

Elements of a form-relieved cutter

 Ray I is the initial

position of the tool
at the beginning of
the relieving motion,
Ray II is the moment
the tool contacts the
cutter tooth,
Ray III is the
moment the tool
leaves the relieved
surface,

 Ray IV is the
beginning of tool
retraction, and
Ray V is the end of
tool retraction and
the beginning of the
relieving motion for
the next tooth.

 Denoting the angles

between the rays by
1; 2; 3; 4 we can
find angle 5
corresponding to
the forward travel
of the tool. Thus
5 = 1+2+ 3

Angles and 4 being known, and assigning

angles 1 and 3 we can find angle 2
Thus,
2 = 2 - 4 - 1 - 3
On the basis of angle 2 the tooth base
thickness C1 can be determined by:
C1 = [(D/2) + (K.2 / ) - h]. sin 2
To determine the position of point M it is
necessary to calculate diameter D2 by
D2 = D [(2.K. 2 )/] -2h