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Watch Solutions for Hard Milling
Makino demonstrates the latest techniques and technologies for high-speed machining of hardened materials for die or mold applications. Check out tips, tricks, and new technologies you can use to mill the toughest steels, shortening your lead times, lowering your costs, and eliminating bench work.

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We want to look for a cam system that is specifically designed for 60 Rockwell materials - a system that utilizes solid model recognition and is very good at re-machining. Ultimately we are looking for a system that can provide a highly accurate tool path and gives us the different processes and approaches that we need for cutting 60 Rockwell materials. We also want flexibility for the programmer.

First, we'll discuss Trochoidal roughing. In 60 Rockwell materials Trochoidal roughing is a very effective tool path for keeping the machine moving. For one, it allows the tool to not get into an overload condition. So based on going into a corner I can set an arc. I can set the amount of overload that I want for the tool. I can set the radius that I want it to create once it does see an overload condition. This will allow for me to have predictable tool life in this hard material because it allows the tool to go into the corner and do a little looping motion or a little arcing motion instead of just going straight into the corner. It eliminates the tool overload you typically would see if you did go straight into a corner. It maintains high feedrate because it is creating these small looping motions. This is extremely effective for 60 Rockwell materials as well as for tools that have long depth to diameter ratios. If you get extended outside of that range of the six to one or the 10 to one depth to diameter ratio, especially in the 60 Rockwell material, the tool will start to flex and this Trochoidal roughing will allow that tool to maintain an effective chip load and maintain feed as it goes in.