Speeds and Feeds Table
It is important to know that although BTC Tool Company does manufacture a line of “Conventional” end mills with 30° Helix Angles these “Conventional” end mills are designed to be run on manual machining centers and CNC machines with lower RPM spindles.
BTC Tool Company prides itself on our line of High Performance End Mills that come in a variety of geometries to match the material and machine’s capability. As machining centers RPM, Feed Rates and Rigidity continue to increase tool paths can be varied to such a great degree that standard feeds and speeds simply act as a starting point to consider. The machine operator will be able to tune the end mill to the application by increasing spindle RPM or feed rates to find the sweet spot of the end mill and maximize its speed and life.
All of our High Performance End Mills have been designed to run best using modern Trochoidal or High Speed Machining tool paths. The tools prefer higher RPMs with a shallower cut but at high feed rates. There are several “High Speed Machining” programs or apps available to help you calculate your speeds and feeds based on material being machined, number of flutes, helix angle and coating for example that can really help you maximize the performance of each end mill. We recommend you look into one of these apps but, the numbers below are a good place to get you started. But the machinist will find the right combination of speeds and feeds for each tool.
Solid Carbide end mills provide the machine operator greater rigidity, a stronger cutting tooth and better resistance to heat than high speed steel. Because of these qualities it can be run at higher speeds or surface feet/minute (SFM).
Softer materials such as Aluminum, Brass, Copper and Plastic should be run at higher SFM. Typically the finish of the material being milled can be improved by increasing the SFM. Slower speeds should be used to mill harder materials like Steel, Cast Iron, Tool Steels and Nickel based alloys such as Stainless Steel and Inconel.
Feed rates also vary by material as well as the diameter of the end mill and the number of teeth on the end mill.
Peripheral milling is typically done at higher feed rates than slot milling. Softer materials can be milled at higher feed rates than hard materials. Typically feed rates should be increased to eliminate chatter.