Cutting speeds
Cutting speeds
(OP)
Way back in my sponsored student days I was sent to a technical college for a few months to do loads of hands-on stuff (machining, drawing, engine stripping, etc). One question our training manager asked us afterwards was why different materials have different optimum cutting speeds. I never managed to work this out at the time and another thread (thread404-240191: 45 degree) has reawakened my interest.
Can anyone explain simply why there is an optimum and why it's different for different metals?
Can anyone explain simply why there is an optimum and why it's different for different metals?
- Steve





RE: Cutting speeds
(Paraphrasing)
Cutting speeds and feeds are affected by variables other than just the material being cut. Cutting tool material, geometry and cutting fluid or coolant all have significant effects.
Hardness obviously plays a big role and is usually used when considering cutting speeds and feeds. However, the structural composition of a material being cut is probably the most significant attribute affecting it's cutting speed. Materials with the same hardness but different structures (induced by heat treating) may have very different machine-ability.
RE: Cutting speeds
- Steve
RE: Cutting speeds
RE: Cutting speeds