Any Advantage of Insert Endmills?

[polaraligned]

I was given a Sandvik RA390 3/4" insert end mill. It looks like I can get some slightly higher MRR's on my BP when I put the info into GWizard calculator. I pretty much don't use 3/4" end mills because they are expensive, and well, just not necessary.

Just wondering what the advantages are over solid end mills other than being able to replace the cutting edge when dull/damaged. Inserts are running about $4 each which seems pretty darn good considering you get 2 cutting edges with each insert.

[eKretz]

I use them for roughing and keep the solid ones for finishing. Indexables can generally take a little more feed since they don't use a perfectly sharp corner (except for certain specific inserts). If you burn up the edges, flip them over and go again for a pretty low price. In contrast, a 3/4" solid carbide endmill will set you back a pretty penny.

[Bob Engelhardt]

MMR: material removal rate. How is not MRR?

[polaraligned]

MMR: material removal rate. How is not MRR?

Because I am a retard and I mistyped I changed it.

[Bob Engelhardt]

Because I am a retard and I mistyped I changed it.

No ... when I Googled MMR, there were hits. MMR does actually mean material removal rate & I want to know why. Probably because in German the 3 words begin with M M R.

[polaraligned]

No ... when I Googled MMR, there were hits. MMR does actually mean material removal rate & I want to know why. Probably because in German the 3 words begin with M M R.

Well, it was a mistake on my part regardless of what MMR does mean to others. GWizard uses MRR and that is what I meant to type, and that is what I use to abbreviate it.

[BCRider]

I've been looking at an option like this vs the cost of a similar size HSS roughing end mill. My kid size knee mill would not do well with anything much bigger but I was thinking that 3/4 inch x 3 cutters might be the sweet spot. Please let us know how it works out in terms of how smoothly it cuts or if you need to bear down pretty hard on the hand wheel.

[LKeithR]

On slightly less rigid machines--like Bridgeports--I've always gotten the best overall removal rates
with good roughing endmills. Run a 3/4" cutter at maybe 400 RPM with a 1-1/4" DOC and feed it
hard--it will walk through a chunk of steel pretty smartly. The only thing I have found is that you need
a good air blast with some mist coolant to clear the chips away...

[JRouche]

[QUOTE= [URL="https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/forum/general/1982482-any-advantage-of-insert-endmills"]Any Advantage of Insert Endmills?[/URL];n19824


For me it depends on what I am cutting. JR

I have insert drills, 1-2", I dont use them. I have 1/2" insert cutters. Dont use them. Too big. JR

[JRouche]

[QUOTE=JRouche;n1982533]

Any Advantage of Insert Endmills?[/URL];n19824


For me it depends on what I am cutting. JR

I have insert drills, 1-2", I dont use them. I have 1/2" insert cutters. Dont use them. Too big. JR

Ooops. I meant to say I do not like verticale insert cutters. All though I love my face cutter I found 10- years ago... Great cutter head and the inserts were cheep. (big deal for me).

I have really never had any good luck with vertical insert cutters.

For horizontal?? The Lathe. My wheel House. JR

[JRouche]

I nwould use these types of things firt. Rgey have odd names, Like Garr and SGS, and some Niagra tool bits. All solid carbide and all handled very nicly

[JRouche]

All solid carbide. Its what I like. JR

P.S> I mostly cut aluminum. See the issue with that is aluminum is very abrasive for the cutting bit.

And that is why I am mostly in solid carbide tool bits.. Abrazing. Aluminum and the alloys suck to cut.... JR

[DR]

I like the insert end mills for use with the high positive aluminum cutting inserts. It would be hard to grind a solid end mill with cutter geometry you can get with an insert. Even if you could grind the geometry it'd be more expensive than replacing a few inserts.

For steel I still like solid end mills best. On low power machines inserts in steel are not good for me.

[Toolguy]

I mostly use the insert cutters for roughing and facing cuts. They will make a flat surface in short order.

[old mart]

The come in handy for rough jobs where you might spoil a normal end mill, and I have no means of sharpening them. I have several, from 10mm single flute to 25mm three flute using the cheap APHT 11 or 16 inserts, in steel or aluminium grades. After that, my shell mills start at 40mm and go to 80mm.
I would avoid that Sandvik, it uses proprietary inserts which are harder to get and more expensive.