Face Milling: Calculating Force, Torque and Power
Improve your face milling operation by understanding the force, torque and power at work during standard milling operations. Find out how a torque calculator can help you improve the lifespan of your tooling and reduce production costs.
Why It’s Important To Calculate Force, Torque and Power
Face milling requires a significant amount of power and high cutting speeds to create precision components. Without the right milling speed settings and face mill inserts, your equipment may not be operating at peak efficiency.
Once you calculate the force, torque and power, you’re better equipped to determine the optimal inserts to purchase and speed setting to use. You can also consider altering the workpiece material to improve the efficiency of your milling.
Accurate calculations are a critical step in planning a new project. If you’re unhappy with the lifetime of your face mill inserts or the quality of your finished products, then a calculator can help you find out if you need to make any alterations to your operations.
Key Face Milling Calculations
To understand the best way to mill workpieces, consider using a face milling calculation tool. Some common applications of face milling calculators include identifying the Brinell Hardness Number of your material, calculating tangential force, identifying torque, or finding the machining power for your face milling application.
These calculations help you appreciate the tangential cutting force involved in the process. Here are just a few factors considered to calculate the tangential cutting force of a milling operation:
- Cutting tool wear
- Number of engaged teeth
- Workpiece hardness and tensile strength
- Uncut chip cross-sectional area
Failure to consider the cutting force can lead to early tool wear, improper tooth engagement and compromised workpiece quality. Avoid damaging your equipment or decreasing the quality of your components by carefully calculating these forces before selecting your tooling and cutting speed.
How To Improve Your Face Milling Operation
Once you calculate the cutting force of your face milling, consider ways to improve your operations. One way to improve your machining is to shop for milling cutters for sale. Cutter dimensions, angles and materials affect the chip load, or thickness of material taken out of a cutter through the arc of a cut.
You can also alter the angle of your face milling. A 45-degree face milling strategy can create less breakout of workpiece corners and minimize entry shock. It also allows for higher feed rates and minimizes chatter.
Some applications still require 90-degree face milling, like when you need corner milling or need to increase the maximum cut depth. Calculating the torque and force of your face milling operation can help you weigh the pros and cons of both 45-degree and 90-degree milling.
Improve Your Milling Operation
Use the Kennametal theoretical value face milling calculator today to improve the planning phase of your milling operation. An online calculator helps you find the Brinell Hardness Number and translate the machining conditions into theoretical values of the tangential force and machining power of your application. Use these calculations to determine whether it’s time to update your milling equipment and tooling today.
Sources:
https://www.ctemag.com/news/articles/understanding-tangential-cutting-force-when-milling#
https://www.mmsonline.com/articles/a-new-milling-101-milling-forces-and-formulas
https://www.kennametal.com/us/en/resources/technical-tips/milling/tech-tip–124—45–vs-90–face-milling.html
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