Advice on Milling Bits

[corey]

Hello, we just bought our first Robotic system with a ABB6700 245kg and a HSD ES362 (HSK63F, ER32) spindle.

We will be mainly cutting fairly large sized objects such as feature walls molds in foam, or in wood.

1. Many of the tool bits in robotic milling video is super long, approx. 300mm-400mm sticking out with a wide radius. But widest radius end mill we see is around 110mm total length. Am i looking at the wrong tool bit website?

2. How do you guys see Indexable End Mill vs regular end mill for roughing?

Thank you!

Corey

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Hello Corey,

Milling tools are often made to order, and doing so is not particularly expensive. So you can define the cutting/flute length, diameter etc. yourself.
I'm not sure what companies are available in your place, some manufacturers are for example Leitz (e.g. used at ICD), Wedco (TU Vienna ordered there, if I remember correctly), Prewi (currently a favorite for wood at the Angewandte) and many others. Chances are good there are local manufacturers as well.
Just don't go overboard with the length/diameter and listen to your spindle ;)

Best,
Johannes

[corey]

Thank you Johannes!

I was wondering if you have any suggestion on sizes and kind of tool bits we should have for starter?

We come from only a 3 axis techno CNC in our school and didn't know what the 12kW spindle is capable of milling wood and high density foam.

We have a 10 tool ATC (HSK 63F).

Thank you so much for your help and quick reply!

Best wishes,
Corey

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Hello Corey,

Hmmm... That's a tough decision. I would rather buy the tools as you go along, In addition to the ball end and end-mill tools, I find conical tools quite interesting for a variety of applications.
But you could buy a larger range of cheap tools to get you started, they will be OK for prototyping and then you will really value the upgrade to good tools ;)

Best,
Johannes

[corey]

Thank you Johannes!

Learning more about the tool bit to order i discovered more options from manufactures which i might need some assistance.

1. Material, would you suggest usual M-2 HSS, Cobalt M-42 or Carbide?
2. Is there any coating necessary? like Titanium Nitrite or Aluminum Titanium Nitrite?
3. How many flutes should i order (for wood and high density foam)?
4. What kind of total tool length do you think robotic arm can handle with rigidity? for example, if you are ordering a D=12mm endmill?

Thank you!!

Best,
Corey

[ryanpennings]

Hi Corey,

1. HSS is sharper, but Carbide is harder & stiffer. For foam, HSS is probably suitable. Carbide might be better for really long tools, however. I've never used cobalt. HSS is also cheaper.
2. Coatings probably aren't necessary for wood, definitely not for foam (foam is very easy to cut). They can add cost but can extend the life of your tools. A lot of these coatings are for high amounts of us on metals anyway.
3. Foam - 2 or 4 flute would be fine (again foam is easy) I'd probably go with 2 flutes, with other materials such as wood, flute choice is based on a number of things and will affect your programming. I suggest you learn a bit about CNC before choosing one or the other.
4. Can't help you much, but what the robot can handle might not be the issue you face with long tools. Stress on the tool itself is more likely. (mostly with wood, not so much foam)

It's probably a good idea to talk to the tool supplier, so they can recommend tools suitable for your application.
Be prepared for tools to break as well..
There's a lot of factors going on in CNC that effect tool choice and programming, so as Johannes said, buying tools as you go along is the best option.

Cheers,
Ryan

[corey]

Thank you Ryan! That has been very informative! I will contact tool companies for a selection of ready made tools first.