HSS Engraving Cutters
HSS engraving cutters are recommended for stainless steel - but can I find any anywhere - even MSC's huge catalogue doesn't have any. After that preanble - here are the questions:
1) Does anybody know where I can get HSS engraving cutters - or failing that:-
2) Is it possible using stock HSS rod (say 3 or 4mm diameter) to grind my own pyramid 3 face cutters - anybody have a website or video site showing best way to do this
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"tear" rather than cut. do you use coolant ? i always use that and my cut and engravings come out ok.
hope this helps
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In my initial naivety - coolant - no. But then I read online somewhere using mist coolant, etc. - 3-in-1 oil was also mentioned. I do have normal coolant for my lathe/milling work - but I thought I would try the 3-in-1 method first. So I made a bund from Newplast modelling clay around the keyrings I was engraving and filled the enclosed keyring tag with 3-in-1 oil. Seemed to work OK - but I still managed to break the carbide tip on my 3rd keyring tag. I will try the same method with coolant once my next batch of micrograin carbide pyramidal cutters arrive. I'm also thinking of using small diameter (0.2mm) mill end cutters instead - although I think the ones I have are "down" cutters and I think I ought to be using "up" cutters to limit the load on these very narrow cutters.
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stainless needs to be cut slow anyway. Good Luck !
show work !
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I have been getting conflicting messages about speed. My CNC machine has a top speed of 14000 rpm and I have been engraving at 12000 rpm because I read somewhere that you needed 24-30000 rpm - even this beginner thought that was far too high. Anyway I've attached one of the keyring tags I have made - showing result before the tool tip chipped - after which the engraving lines were much wider.
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i also have a CNC Msater mill( 5400 max) and i engrave at 4200 with 4InchPerMin.
looks like you're feed is too fast for the rpm. leave the rpm at 12,000 and just adjust the feed.
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I don't do enough or understand enough yet to justify the outlay of the annual prices for G-Wizard - so if you could run the following I would be grateful.
So far I've used 3 different cutters. The first I tried - and I realise that the included angle of 30 degrees is probably too steep - was a normal V-shape carbide single fluke cutter.
Flat bottom 0.3mm cutting edge diameter
Shank diameter 3.175mm
2nd: same V-shape: tungsten cemented carbide single fluke cutter
Included angle 60 degrees
Knifepoint 0.1mm
3rd: 3 edge pyramidal cutter: micro-grain carbide
4mm shaft
45 deg cutting angle
Cutting width 0.1mm
These descriptions are from the sellers on Ebay where I got them from.
Thanks - Micromet
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carbide single fluke cutter.
Flat bottom 0.3mm cutting edge diameter
Shank diameter 3.175mm
At an RPM of 12000 this should have a max feedrate of 2.6 ipm. This may cause too much tool deflection causing chatter and tool failure. This has a chip load of 0.0005" per tooth any lower feedrate may cause rubbing and premature tool failure.
2nd: same V-shape: tungsten cemented carbide single fluke cutter
Included angle 60 degrees
Knifepoint 0.1mm
At an RPM of 12000 this should have a max feedrate of 4.7 ipm. Chip load of 0.0009" per tooth.
3rd: 3 edge pyramidal cutter: micro-grain carbide
4mm shaft
45 deg cutting angle
Cutting width 0.1mm
At an RPM of 12000 this should have a max feedrate of 16.5 ipm. Chip load of 0.0013" per tooth. May want to back the feed off a little to start with and work your way up. More teeth get a higher feedrate. Gullets may be too small for that much chip load.
These are what G-wizard kicked out and I cannot vouch for them otherwise.
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