Why High Speed Machining?

This demonstration part illustrates HSM at its most fundamental. First the part was machined with heavy, slow cuts—0.25-inch DOC and around 1,000 rpm. Next it was machined with lighter, faster cuts—0.05-inch DOC, 1/2 as much step-over and around 10,000 rpm. Chip load remained the same. HSM delivered a higher metal removal rate despite the lighter cuts. Plus the surface was smoother, and the machined form was much closer to the intended shape of the part. Photo courtesy Millstar. For footage of HSM in action, scroll down.

Media Player: 56k | 100K Video shows a mold cavity machined in one setup in 54 Rc hardened steel using a 35,000-rpm machining center. Footage courtesy Okuma.

High Speed Machining means milling with light depths-of-cut at high feed rates. Milling at lighter depths was always possible, but speed makes it practical. Now, light cuts don’t have to stretch out the cycle time.

As a result, the machining center can do more.

Through HSM, the machining center can reduce the need for polishing. It can deliver EDM electrodes more efficiently. It can even eliminate EDM in some cases.

Particularly when this last case is true, HSM can let a machining center produce complex tooling competitively in a single setup.