3 Things You May Need to Know about Milled Aluminum

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Posted on Oct. 22th, 2018 | By WayKen Rapid Manufacturing

High-speed milling is not a X thing, or a new technique. It has been used in many industries, for example, the mold manufacturing industry has used it for decades. As a process, it used to be seen as a small tool for high-spindle speed machines. Today, high-speed milling has a wider range of applications. In recent years, aluminum alloy is the most widely used non-ferrous metal structural material in the industry, and the aluminum alloy industry has developed into a relatively mature market. What kind of spark will it collide when the aluminum alloy meets the milling?

The Development of High-Speed Milling

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1. Conception Version | High-Speed Milling

In the 1990s, the development of high-speed milling (HSM) focused on the overall concept, including the creation of machine tools with a spindle speed of 200,000 rpm. High spindle speeds and high feed rates are highly valued. Research institutes have shown that high speeds can have serious consequences and high risks when tool or machine tool parts do not match the application.

2. Optimization | Milling Application

The main factors need to be considered are: milling force, surface texture, metal removal rate, tool life and safety. These studies demonstrate the importance of optimizing high-speed milling factors. Thanks to the research and development of machine tool builders, software developers, milling tool manufacturers and high-speed milling, there is now a broader application space. More importantly, the actual process of high-speed milling has not only stayed in theory, but has been applied to all aspects of the shop.

3. Innovation | Milling Tools

The development of innovative milling tools makes high-speed milling a more practical and profitable method in the mold manufacturing industry. Any milling process rule, including high-speed milling, has the same effect as machine tools, software, and milling tools. In many years of practical applications, the development of tools in high-speed milling has moved toward higher performance.

Milling is an important part of the high-speed milling process, and its innovations have influenced the performance of milling cutters in many tooling applications. In high-speed milling, speed is the key, which represents the spindle speed, milling speed or feed rate. High-speed milling can be achieved by optimizing the milling process with high milling speeds or high feed rates.

New Development of Aluminum Milling

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When it comes to high-speed milling and indexable inserts, safe blade fixing is the top priority. Increasingly high milling machine spindle speeds and table feeds (especially during aluminum milling) result in high centrifugal forces and the resulting large load on the blade mounting elements.

The finite element method for analyzing load distribution is particularly valuable when developing satisfactory solutions and finding working models for indexable tools for high-speed milling faster, and it can be used to design better cooling. The liquid passage and outlet structure to aid in chip evacuation in a preferred manner. This has resulted in a new generation of high speed milling tools for aluminum alloy milling.

The CoroMill790 indexable end mill is an example of a tool for machining aluminum alloys at high speeds. This type of end mill is mainly used in high-speed machining processes such as cavity milling, edge milling, slot milling, and contouring in mold manufacturing. The fixing of the blade is realized by the specially developed blade-knife interface. The design of the serrated contact surface on the bottom surface of the insert groove and the back of the blade not only greatly improves the safety in high-speed milling, but also ensures the processing accuracy.

The CoroMill790 end mill serrated contact surface design can also be widely used in face milling cutters used in aluminum machining, especially cast aluminum parts such as molds, engine blocks, gearbox housings, etc. From semi-finishing to super-finishing, when the milling speed is increased to 8000m/min, the positive rake angle of the CoroMill790 end mill can be made of cemented carbide, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) or cubic boron nitride (CBN). This design makes the milling cutter widely suitable for aluminum alloy milling and even cast iron milling. The high-tech CoroMill790 end mill structure is not complicated, its blade axial adjustment is simple and convenient, and it also has the advantages of milling force balance, wide application field and precise machining allowance.

The blade is evenly stressed, making the processing smoother and safer, and prolonging the service life of the tool. The above design greatly enhances the milling quality and improves the machining capacity.

Milled Aluminum in Automotive Manufacturing

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The proportion of aluminum alloy used in automobile manufacturing is gradually increasing. At present, the Jaguar long wheelbase version XF is more used in aluminum alloy. This car claims that the four doors except the car are made of steel, and all other parts of the body are the proportion of aluminum alloy and aluminum alloy reaches 75%. So do you know which parts of the car can use aluminum?

First of all – The car wheel. Today’s car wheels are basically made of aluminum. If a car is without aluminum wheels, maybe it is manufactured more than a decade ago, or it is just a cheap car. The aluminum alloy wheel has a very obvious effect on reducing the fuel consumption of the car, and the automobile wheel hub is mostly 6061 aluminum alloy. (AL 6061)

Secondly, every car has four doors and two covers. The “two covers” are the hood and the trunk lid, which are all parts of the body that are easily damaged. The aluminum alloy used in the “four doors and two covers” is 5182 aluminum (AL 5182). Because the 5182 aluminum plate has excellent deformability, it can absorb the impact force when impacted by external force, and protect the driver and passengers to a large extent. For higher safety doors and covers are made of 5182 aluminum alloy.

What’s more– the car chassis. The bottom plate of the suspension arm of the car is also made of more aluminum alloy. The aluminum alloy used in this part is 5083 aluminum alloy, 5754 aluminum alloy and 6061 aluminum alloy.

Moreover, the fuel tank of the car, the radiator, the battery bottom plate of the new energy vehicle, and the like are also made of aluminum alloy.

Possibility of Milled Aluminum is Infinite

With the development of the metal industry, the current metal materials are mined from raw materials to processing and then eliminated, which will not waste resources and damage the ecological environment. Therefore, the advantages of aluminum alloy are environmental friendly and recyclable, which is fully in line with the current environmental theme. The milling process endows aluminum with more possibilities in our lives.

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