Herding Cats
Hardplates
She was only at 60% spindle load with lots of RPM and feed left in her 
62.4 Cubes Per Min
- Thread starter Herding Cats
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Is that the Mits?
Herding Cats
Hardplates
Hitachi Seiki VS40 high grade (30hp die and mold spindle) with a Widia 2" jobbie
Mud
Well-known member
What material?
Herding Cats
Hardplates
Just 6061 2" x 6" x 19.5" bars.
That was 520 ipm. I ran it up to just shy of 800 ipm with override, but it cuts a little undersize so I'd have to run G8P1 to put it back on path. I'm gonna check the the specs on the cutter and see if I can jump the helix stepdown from 0.060" to 0.090. If I can do that and stay at 520 ipm that will put me right around 100 cubes per min.
Only have 15 parts to make so I'm more just having fun playing around since I don't run aluminum that often.
I used to work with a machinist that programed and ran the CNC mills.
He loved pushing machines, ran over 100% all the time.
One day I designed a large bending die, that was milled out of a solid chunk
of 9" thick MS, 18" x 32" section was carved out....he about blew a load in his pants when I proposed that method, over the old way of a weldment, with less machining. IIRC about 75% was removed as chips.
He did very good on the job, and we saved money.....However when he retired, the next one was back to normal welding.
and when I left, they don't really doo much anymore, and certainly NO regards to saving money.
Last edited:
Herding Cats
Hardplates
Hey roughing is where there is lots of money to be made.
As far as guys who baby their machines......middle of the line to high end machines are usually made to run non-stop balls out. It's a tool, if it breaks I'll fix it, if I can't fix it I'll replace it!
Herding Cats
Hardplates
Got up to 108 cubes doing a 0.090" helix at 600 ipm and we encountered some shop power issues. Keep in mind this machine has a true 30hp spindle as well as three 5 hp each servos for the axis's. And a 15 hp compressor running as well as a 10hp turning center.
Got enough juice going to the panel, just need to reconfigure the circuits a bit
But for now she's fast enough for what I'm making
Got enough juice going to the panel, just need to reconfigure the circuits a bit
But for now she's fast enough for what I'm making
Mud
Well-known member
Shear Hog says 6 cu.in/minute/hp is normal for aluminum with good tools, meaning their tools. I've reached that and a bit more with a 20HP VMC (120 cuin/min) with their tools and others, usually the servos and control are the limiting factor on short toolpaths like those circles but longer paths are easier to get it on. Big difference I've seen between tools is how loud some are, yours is quiet like the Korloy tool Exkenna calls the Ripper. Louder also seems to take more spindle power. I broke a couple Iscar E90AL tools taking .025 IPT feed on a 10 HP mill, the Iscars are real noisy like the Shear Hogs. Iscar said don't do that.
Herding Cats
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6 sounds pretty optimistic to me but maybe under ideal conditions. But I did look at my spindle chart and at 7200 rpm it looks 100% is around 25hp and 120% is 30hp. I always figured closer to 3-4. But I don't work with much aluminum, and after these parts I'm glad I don't. Chip management is a full time job
This particular shop & individual had a large 50 taper Burgmaster, and the spindle was going out on it.
Management wouldn't replace the bearings, so he tried as best he could to end it for the machine.
On that job, I could hear it from the office, sounded like a model air-o-plane flying around.
So I walked up to him, while this was running, (didn't say a word) put my hands out like on a control, and wiggling my thumbs,
moved my head to follow the imaginary model airplane.....
Management wouldn't replace the bearings, so he tried as best he could to end it for the machine.
On that job, I could hear it from the office, sounded like a model air-o-plane flying around.
So I walked up to him, while this was running, (didn't say a word) put my hands out like on a control, and wiggling my thumbs,
moved my head to follow the imaginary model airplane.....
I like doing that kind of stuff. I made a lot of flywheels around 1.5" thick 1045 that got 3.5" lightening holes through them. I did the holes on my old 1982 Mori MV-45 with a 5/8" endmill spiral full depth and spiral out. 6M Fanuc maxes out at 141 IPM, but that looks pretty fast in a pocket that size.
Herding Cats
Hardplates
I definitely enjoy roughing and trying out new things. That video was 520 ipm (actual feed). IIRC I got up to around 800 ipm but it was cutting undersized at 800 cause I didn't have G8 tuned for moving that fast.
When I went from max feed in the shop being 300 ipm to 1575 ipm it opened the door to a lot more playing around and lifted so many limitation.