Practical Solutions

to Common Machining Problems

Matching the roughing algorithm and tooling to the milling machine being
used to machine the part is critical for high productivity.
Article originally published in MoldMaking Technology Magazine in August 2010

FIGURE 1

Illustrations courtesy of Sescoi.

FIGURE 2

MAIN PHOTO: A 4 effective plunge roughing tool removes large

amounts of material efficiently, while delivering optimal tool life and
directed force management sending the cutting forces axially through
the Z axis of the machine. Plunge milling Punch-In Quad.

FIGURE 1: An ideal part for plunge roughing. It has a large volume

of stock to remove, as well as large open areas.
FIGURE 2: This is what happens when you plunge rough a 3-D
contoured shape. Your remaining stock is in a more rough condition.

Machining blocks of steel for mold applications is not

the same as machining for production or other markets. Tools and software routines developed for other
markets may haphazardly get the job done with
regards to molds, but they may be a far cry from an
optimized solution.

Plunge Roughing

Tooling and software has made great strides at taking

advantage of high-speed mills, especially for finishing.
Many of these high-speed mills are characterized by
high spindle speeds and fast feedrates. Often, an
older mill with high torque capabilities is still available,
but the question is how best to utilize this capital
equipment without creating work stoppages while one
machine waits for another.

Following are some practical solutions to common

machining problems specific to roughing operations in
molds.

Plunge roughing often can have a metal removal rate

that is double a traditional roughing operation. With all
cutter forces along the axis of the cutter, and with
intelligent dynamic stock modeling by a CAM system,
this form of roughing is not only as safe as traditional
roughing, but it can require less torque and increase
insert life over traditional roughing.

when roughing complex mold shapes. Sometimes the

cutters will be cutting with 100 percent of the diameter,
and sometimes only 10 percent, depending on the
shape of the mold.

Plunge roughing may not be the best solution for every

part though. To perform the best plunge roughing you
need parts with open areas of high volume removal.

Photo courtesy of Ingersoll Cutting Tools.

One perceived downside to plunge roughing is the

condition of the stock after the roughing application.
Plunge roughing, with a vertical cut and large forward
step will leave larger stair steps of stock as compared
to a traditional roughing application. However, both
methods will require a reroughing operation, both
operations will have a similar amount of re-roughing
cutting passes, just one will be able to take more
material than the other.

A 2 inch 7 effective high-feed face mill is employed to rapidly rough

out the remaining stock, bring the part to net-shape quickly. Highdensity, high-feed tools often deliver productivity gains as soon as
they are put into service. Hi-feed Power-Feed+Mini.

Learn More

By using a plunge mill, what used to take four

hours now takes only 30 minutesand
stretches mold feedstock.
When plunge roughing, the larger the forward step you
take, the faster the material removal can be. Several
tools are available that are well suited for plunge
roughing, including many designed specifically for that
purpose. Some cutters use a forward step up to the
cutter diameter and are available for smaller diameter
plunge roughing needs. Other cutters are designed
specifically for plunge roughing, with the cutting
inserts installed in such a way that the insert material
is supported for a plunge style cut, and support
diameters from 1.0 to 6.0 inches.

Not all milling machines are capable of plunge

roughing, often depending on the spindle design.
However, there are still gains to be made from
traditional roughing. There may be two different
routes, often depending on the torque capabilities of
the milling machine.

FIGURE 3: The rough condition if you use peel milling with a large
stepdown

When programming with these special cutters, it is

important to take into consideration certain limitations
when using those cutters. When utilizing a large
diameter cutter, the area in between the inserts, or the
non-cutting diameter becomes large, as a percentage
of the overall diameter. It is important the CAM system
is able to limit the cutter from trying to enter small
pockets. Additionally, when ramping into pockets, it is
critical the ramping motion, whether a helix or spiral
motion, is large enough to accommodate the cutter
geometry. CAM systems that employ a dynamic stock
model are able to update the condition of the stock, at
all times during calculation, thus providing cutter paths
that are safe on the tool, yet also efficient for
productivity.

High-Feed Roughing

Cutting tool companies spend a lot of time and money

in developing new cutter technologies that will allow
for faster metal removal rates. New developments in
cutting tool designs can allow molds to be roughed
with either faster feedrates or larger depths-of-cuts.
Cutting tool engineers have to be aware and design
for the varying cutting conditions and loads found
2

Illustrations courtesy of Sescoi.

Some tools allow for higher surface footage when

roughing steel as compared to traditional button
cutters. This often translates into a larger depth of cut,
a faster feedrate or a combination of the two.

Plunge Milling Saves Time on Big Mold Cavities

Illustrations courtesy of Sescoi.

FIGURE 4: Large scallops being automatically removed with a

trochoidal sub-step option.

FIGURE 5: A cutterpath with the sub steps shows separate from the
main trochoidal rough.

Productivity is increased by using the larger depth-ofcut that this cutter is designed to handle. Roughing in
this fashion is often done on milling machines with
good torque capacities on the spindle. This is due to
the large stepover that can occur, as well as the larger
depth-of-cut that is available.

combo flutes of roughing and finishing can create a

good chip control and further reduce cutting forces.

CAM systems that employ a dynamic stock model

become critical when creating trochoidal cutterpaths.
With a dynamic stock model, they will create
trochoidal movements based on the actual load on the
cutter, instead of a theoretical calculated load.
Additionally, when peel milling, there will be larger
stair steps of leftover stock. One advantage of the
dynamic stock model is that the CAM system will know
of those stair steps and automatically reduce
immediately after the trochoidal roughing operation.

Trochoidal Roughing

Conversely, a milling machine characterized by lower

torque capabilities and higher feeds, provides completely
different problems for roughing. In this instance, using a
form of trochoidal roughing can allow for fast feedrates
without providing excessive load on the spindle.
Trochoidal roughing is where the calculated cutterpath
utilizes circular movements once the load on the cutter
goes over a set amount. This keeps the cutter from ever
cutting with 100 percent diameter.

Summary

For the highest productivity it is important to match the

roughing algorithm and tooling to the milling machine
being used to machine the part. One size does not fit all.

When using trochoidal roughing, there are two very

different approaches that can commonly be used on
very high-feed machines. One option is to employ
small step downs and large stepovers, say 50 to 70
percent of the cutter diameter. Once the stepover gets
past 70 percent, trochoidal movements are automatically added. This approach uses the corner of the
cutting tool for most of the cutting duties.

contributor

Jeff Jaje is the Marketing & Business Development

Manager for Sescoi. He holds a bachelors degree in
Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University, and
has been involved in the CAM software field since 1990.
William Fiorenza is Product Manager for Ingersoll Cutting
Tools, Die/Mold Group. He has 21 years of CAE and CNC
Programming experiences in the following positions:
Detail Draftsman, Sr. Design Draftsman, Manufacturing
Engineer, CNC Programmer, Senior CNC Programmer
and Product Manager.

Another option for trochoidal roughing is to use a large

step down with a very small stepover, maybe 10
percent or less of the cutter diameter. With this
approach, you are effectively cutting with the side
flutes of the cutter, instead of just the corner. It allows
heat distribution along the tool, instead of having the
heat concentrated right at the tip. This is sometimes
referred to as peel milling.

For more information:

Ingersoll Cutting Tools

Tel (815) 387-6600 - Fax: (815) 387-6968
WAF@ingersoll-imc.com - ingersoll-imc.com

Tooling with a 45-degree helix roughing tip can be

used for roughing many materials. Utilizing the large
stepover with the smaller step down and a trochoidal
roughing movement, forces can be kept even. This
allows for extended tool life.

Often when planning to use the small stepover and

large step down (or peel milling) for roughing, one will
use a solid carbide cutting tool. Cutters that have

Sescoi USA, Inc.

(248) 351-9300 - Fax: (248) 351-9301
jeffj@sescoi.com - www.sescoi.com

Moldmaking Technology magazine.

www.moldmakingtechnology.com