There is a common belief among engineers that end mills should never be used on holes that do not have an existing hole in the center to allow chips to pass through. Why is it that the end mill is unable to clear the chips? If the answer is no, read on. How can you plunge an end mill to create a pocket in the same way that a cnc drilling bit does it?
What situation would you be more likely to use a drill bit in?
As the subtitle indicates, the two types of tools are markedly different from one another. For starters, they differ in terms of tool geometry. The cutting part of an end mill is wrapped around flutes, which are a collection of helical grooves on the side of the end mill. At the very least, each flute has a sharp edge to it. While this type of component is not visible on drill bits because they rely on the edges on the top area of the drill bit rather than the lateral cutting edge to drill down and evacuate chips, it is present. Second, an end mill has a greater range of applications than a drill bit. End mills are designed to not only cut horizontally across a workpiece, but also to create a groove in the workpiece before broaching the entire hole based on the groove. Drill bits, on the other hand, can only be used for boring straight holes down to the material. In a nutshell, a drill bit cannot be substituted for an end mill when performing a milling operation. When would you recommend using a drill bit in a particular situation, and why? For drilling holes smaller than 1.5mm in diameter, a drill is the best tool to use. End mills with a diameter of less than 1.5 mm become extremely vulnerable, and as a result, they cannot operate as efficiently as a drill. If you need to drill a very deep hole – one that is more than four times the diameter of your hole – you should use a drill. This is because if the hole diameter is greater than this value, it may be very difficult for the end milling cutter to remove the chips, which will cause your tool and workpiece to wear out much more quickly. Do you need to drill a large number of holes in a piece of work at the same time? The drill may be the most effective. The use of end mills for drilling is the most efficient method in the majority of cases. Do you need to drill a hole that is extremely precise? Although cnc milling services are generally considered to be perfectly acceptable, tight tolerances may necessitate the use of a drill and a reamer to achieve a flawless finish. When is it appropriate to use an end mill? Is it necessary to dig a large hole? A large hole necessitates the use of a large drill and a large amount of horsepower, which is the highlight of spiral milling. Utilize a milling cutter with a diameter between 60 and 80 percent that of the hole diameter to clean up as quickly as possible while still leaving enough space for debris to escape the hole. Do you need to level the bottom hole on the workpiece? If so, read on. Ordinary drills are incapable of performing this function, so you should remove this item from the drill's work list. Do you need to make a large number of holes of varying sizes? Make use of an end milling cutter to save time and space by reducing the number of tool changes. Take a look at the end of an end mill that has been ground for center cutting to get an answer to this question. When compared to the clearance behind the side cutting edges, the clearance behind the bottom cutting edges is significantly less. There is simply not enough space for a chip to occupy, and there is also no way for the chip to get out of the situation. While an endmill can be used to drill very, very short pecks, it is much better to ramp down in a helical path when doing longer pecks. When drilling a pocket, it is best to predrill a hole first. However, if you want to avoid changing tools, you can drill with the endmill slot down and then use a small ramp back and forth. Shift the tool sideways about 1/2 its diameter while lowering it by about 1/8 its diameter; this creates space for the chips to escape. It is not perfect, but it serves its purpose. They leave a very nice finish on the inside of the hole after they have finished it. Although you will have to move more slowly than with a drill, removing the chips will not be a problem. In most cases, it is done when you want a flat bottom hole, such as when you are making a counterbore. When it comes to the depth of plunge, a standard depth of about half the tool diameter is used. It is sometimes necessary to use more or less to achieve the final depth with the fewest number of passes. Aside from that, thin materials can be easily drilled with an endmill; whereas a drill bit would grab and tear at the piece, an endmill simply sizzles through it, leaving a round hole rather than a triangular hole.