Efficiently Machining Large-Diameter Holes in 4140 PH Steel
Stop tying up machine capacity – cut large holes quickly with high-feed helixing
We see it all the time – helixing with indexable high-feed tooling can be a game-changer if you’re regularly machining large-diameter holes.
This shop was struggling to efficiently make 4” diameter holes through 2.5” thick 4140PH, with a starter hole and multiple step cuts eating up 20 minutes of machine time per hole. Switching to a constant helix motion with a 2” diameter heavy-feed cutter – straight from solid – cut that cycle time to just 2 minutes, 35 seconds per hole.
That's an impressive 87% reduction in cycle time, resulting in a savings of $1452 per month over 50 holes.
Hole making can be time consuming and eat through your cutting tools. Why have we long been proponents of hole helixing?
- Quick cycle times
- Flexibility when changing hole sizes – simply change the program vs. changing out the tool
- Modest horsepower requirements – even a 40-taper machine makes short work of the job
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