Stop using default tool paths on aluminum and wondering why your finish looks bad

I keep seeing guys at my shop in Houston running standard pocket routines on 6061 and then complaining about chip welding and rough edges. Why would you run the same feed and speed you use for steel on something that gums up instantly? I switched to a climb milling path with a .002 chip load and some air blast, and my parts come out looking like glass now. Took me about 3 tries to dial it in but the finish quality jumped way up. Has anyone else seen a big difference just by changing your approach direction?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana5095d ago

Man I gotta disagree with you there. Standard toolpaths work fine on 6061 if you know your feeds and speeds. I run conventional milling all day on aluminum and get great results. The trick is keeping your chipload consistent, not switching to climb milling. Air blast helps but flood coolant with a 3% concentration works way better for flushing chips than any mist system. Climb milling on thin wall sections will just cause chatter and make things worse.

jennybailey4d ago

@mitchell.avery nailed it. Climb milling on 6061 fixed my BUE issues too.

mitchell.avery5d ago

Felt that one deep man. I was fighting with some 6061 parts last month, getting that nasty built up edge on the corners every single time. Switched to climb milling and a light mist of coolant instead of the flood, and it was night and day. The chips actually cleared out, and the surface looked like it came off a grinder. Took me wasting about 4 hours of material to finally learn that lesson too.