High-Feed Contour Ramping vs. High-Efficiency Milling
When combined with high-performance indexable milling tools, constant ramp profiling (contour ramping) can be a highly effective alternative to dynamic/high-efficiency milling – at a tooling cost that is much lower than solid carbide round tools.
In this demo, we examine three approaches for machining a 1" deep x 3.5" wide x 6" long pocket in 4140PH (28 Rc), comparing both cycle time and tooling cost.
1 – High-Efficiency Milling – Solid Carbide End Mill
- 1/2" AlTiN-coated solid carbide end mill
- 4 flutes
- 1" depth of cut
- Single-use tool
- Price: $75
- Cycle time: 5 min. 50 sec.
2 – Double-Pass High-Feed Ramping – Indexable End Mill
- 1" Dapra high-feed end mill
- 4 flutes
- .040" max. depth of cut
- 6 usable edges
- Price of edges in cut: $8
- Cycle time: 4 min. 10 sec.
3 – Single-Pass High-Feed Ramping – Indexable Shell Mill
- 2" Dapra high-feed shell mill
- 5 flutes
- .060" max. depth of cut
- 4 usable edges
- Price of edges in cut: $15
- Cycle time: 1 min. 30 sec.