Reasonable Profile Capability for Center-Cutting Ball End Mill
Reasonable Profile Capability for Center-Cutting Ball End Mill
(OP)
Howdy! I'm designing a part with some curvature-matching and I'd like to produce a spherical indentation in a piece of Nitronic 60 SS. I am wondering if I can expect the surface profile to be reasonable in a cutting operation with a center-cutting ball end mill. If I'd like the indentation surface profile .125 spherical dia. with -0/+.003" tolerance and a depth ~.075", is it reasonable to expect that can be cut or will I have to have embossed or something?





RE: Reasonable Profile Capability for Center-Cutting Ball End Mill
However, plunge cutting with center-cutting ball mills is doable. If you can allow a possible 'nipple' to the divot, for relief, one could even drill the center with a small drill before the ball mill comes in, to extend tool life. Otherwise, drilling to ~90% depth and then using the ball mill will still help and not leave any possible extra dimple in the center of the bottom.
RE: Reasonable Profile Capability for Center-Cutting Ball End Mill
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.