Mitsubishi facemill cloudy finish in 6061.

[Houdini]

I have a Tungaloy, Ingersoll, Dormer Pramit, Korloy.

and only the Korloy leaves a mirror finish.

I run 10k rpm, .004IPT, .01-.02 finish pass,coolant approx 8%, just as a reference.

 

[5 axis Fidia guy]

I personally would use coated and polished inserts for aluminum, only NOT the diamond coated.

 

[empower]

Diamond coated inserts are for Aluminum and composites only, or I should say, non ferrous materials.

i do believe 6061 is aluminum

 

[5 axis Fidia guy]

i do believe 6061 is aluminum

I changed my response since I did not see what material he was using.

 

[empower]

I personally would use coated and polished inserts for aluminum, only NOT the diamond coated.

why not DLC?

 

[Houdini]

i do believe 6061 is aluminum

I don't know man, I get some bars from Kaiser as we all do, then I got some from a local Provo Utah manufacturer, and I gotta say that shite aient T6511

The Provo stuff in the lathe actually breaks a chip easy, like its harder almost 7075.

Just spit on it, or rub some dirt on it, if that doesn't work WD40!

 

[Houdini]

What? polished inserts aren't coated, its either coated or polished?
Not coated and polished, that's an oxymoron?

 

[Orange Vise]

I use the TF15 (uncoated, polished) grade.

 

[gkoenig]

Agree with going unpolished insert or PCD if you wanna make the mirrors.

 

[gregormarwick]

I don't have that exact tool but I use Sandvik R790 which is more or less equivalent, and I use uncoated and unpolished inserts and get beautiful finishes in 6082-T6 pretty much regardless of how fast I spin it.

 

[Wsurfer]

2" ripper mill, 4 polished inserts, 10krpm 120 IPM, .02" Doc. Trim 685 @ 7%

 

[Houdini]

Just as a test, have you tried going back over the surface at the same height, no retract, no Z changes, just forward and back.
I have seen this work also, usually on dry, but sill, worth a try.

 

[empower]

Just as a test, have you tried going back over the surface at the same height, no retract, no Z changes, just forward and back.
I have seen this work also, usually on dry, but sill, worth a try.

i have not, worth a shot!

 

[5 axis Fidia guy]

What? polished inserts aren't coated, its either coated or polished?
Not coated and polished, that's an oxymoron?

You can have coated inserts for aluminum that are polished, and you can have plain micrograin carbide inserts that are just polished, no coating.

 

[Houdini]

You can have coated inserts for aluminum that are polished, and you can have plain micrograin carbide inserts that are just polished, no coating.

OK, I don't think I've ever seen a coated and polished insert, I'll take your word for it.
Every coated insert I've seen isn't polished, it's either or.

 

[5 axis Fidia guy]

why not DLC?

Diamond coatings are best used for abrasive materials and extremely long tool life, not necessarily a great surface finish. I tried a Diamond ball endmill in aluminum for finishing a mold core once, ( By the manufactures suggestion) and I got nowhere near the surface finish as I would have using a coated carbide tool meant for aluminum. We keep all our diamond tooling for cutting carbon electrodes and that's it.

 

[gregormarwick]

DLC and PCD are for tool life.

MCD inserts are the ultimate solution for surface finish, but I've only tried them in a turning application. Not sure how commonly available they are for milling?

 

[empower]

so i got the same insert, just in TF15 grade which i believe is just polished.
24k rpm 100 ipm. .01" on finish pass



definitely room to dial it in a bit more, but huge difference already.
guess those DLC inserts arent worth the ~$40 each that they're selling them for...

 

[gregormarwick]

definitely room to dial it in a bit more, but huge difference already.
guess those DLC inserts arent worth the ~$40 each that they're selling them for...

I'd definitely try unpolished while you're experimenting. I'd like to imagine the polishing is done before grinding the edge but if not then the unpolished will be sharper.

Polishing is supposed to prevent chip welding, but IME it doesn't make much difference.

 

[Houdini]

so i got the same insert, just in TF15 grade which i believe is just polished.
24k rpm 100 ipm. .01" on finish pass
View attachment 424109
View attachment 424110

definitely room to dial it in a bit more, but huge difference already.
guess those DLC inserts arent worth the ~$40 each that they're selling them for...

Oh, I didn't look up the inserts you were using, I assumed polished.
yeah no DLC(no coatings).

Best finishes I have seen for Aluminium are either polished with no coating(coating is an oxymoron to me on a polished insert)
or even better finish I have seen is the ones with PCD with a PCD wiper.