Tool Mills Grooves in Tight Spaces

The CrazyMill Cool P&S three-flute solid carbide plunge mill from Mikron Tool drills a groove into solid material and finishes workpieces in one operation. The groove can be as small as 1 mm (0.039") in diameter. The tool suits operations in which grooves and pockets need to be milled in small spaces, such as keyways used for drive shafts of motors.

The tool’s geometry is designed to enable process-stable, vibration-free plunging. A correction in the center stabilizes the central cutting edge and reduces the penetration force. A large chip area in the top section collects a good quantity of chips and then evacuates these laterally into large chip flutes. Adapted chip and relief angles and stable cutting edge corners avoid lateral hooking-up and the subsequent breaking-out of the cutting edges due to vibrations.

The mill has coolant ducts integrated into the shank, which bring the coolant directly to the cutting edges to provide constant and targeted cooling. This reduces the overheating and chipping of edges, even with high speeds and feeds. The chips are continuously flushed from the milling area with conventional external coolant supply.

Geometry and cooling, combined with a heat- and wear-resistant coating and the use of a fine-grain carbide, contribute to good tool performance. The tool can achieve a chip removal rate of 1×D (a_p). According to the company, the tool offers extended life and is suitable for small diameters in stainless steels and titanium.