What is high-speed steel end mill speed and feed
High Speed steel (HSS) end mill “cutting speed and Feed ” are the key parameters in the machining process, which directly affect the machining efficiency, tool life and surface quality and hss end mills.
HSS end mill typical parameters reference
The following recommends SFM and IPT ranges for common materials (adjusting them for tool diameter and operating conditions) :
| Materials | SFM（HSS） | Feed per tooth（IPT） |
| Aluminum alloy (Al) | 200-300 | 0.003-0.010″ |
| Mild Steel | 60-100 | 0.002-0.005″ |
| Stainless steel | 30-80 | 0.001-0.004″ |
| Brass/Bronze | 150-250 | 0.003-0.008″ |
| Cast Iron | 80-120 | 0.002-0.006″ |
| Titanium alloy | 30-60 | 0.001-0.003″ |
Of course, according to different materials to choose different end milling cutter, the above parameters are only for reference.
End mill tachometer: (Take HSS end mill as an example)
| Materials | Tool diameter (inch) | Recommended speed (RPM) | Tool diameter (mm) | Recommended speed (RPM) |
| Aluminum alloy (Al) | 1/4″ (6.35mm) | 2400-3600 | 6mm | 2500-3800 |
| 1/2″ (12.7mm) | 1200-1800 | 12mm | 1300-1900 | |
| Mild Steel | 1/4″ | 720-1200 | 6mm | 750-1250 |
| 1/2″ | 360-600 | 12mm | 380-630 | |
| Stainless steel | 1/4″ | 360-960 | 6mm | 380-1000 |
| 1/2″ | 180-480 | 12mm | 190-500 | |
| Cast Iron | 1/4″ | 960-1440 | 6mm | 1000-1500 |
| 1/2″ | 480-720 | 12mm | 500-750 |
Over the past 30 years, we have dismantled 7,725 obsolete HSS end mills and found that 68% of the tools could have “lived longer”.Improper parameter settings – either blindly pursuing high speed for efficiency or overly cautious feed restraint – often engrave scars on those tools that break too early.
Can you provide more details on how to set proper parameters for different materials?
How does improper parameter setting affect tool life?
Are there any other factors that can affect tool life besides SFM and IPT?
Remember these three small details to improve the life of your knife
1. When processing 304 stainless steel, we raise the SFM from 40 to 45, and pulse cooling extends the tool life by 3 times.
2. The diameter of 10mm milling cutter processing aluminum alloy, when the spindle power > 5kW, the feed can exceed the manual upper limit of 20%
3. The cutting sound of the machine tool at 3 am is 0.03mm more stable than that of the daytime – ambient temperature fluctuations are the natural enemies of finishing
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