How to Decide Which End Mill to Use in Aluminum | A Quick Beginner's Guide to Milling in a Tormach

So about a week ago we used the one flute end mill here in this Tormach but we've also used three flute and five flute and I just want to go through for some beginners and explain why you would use the one flute or the two flute or the three flute or even the five flute for each purpose and each application in this machine. But before I get started make sure and hit a like and subscribe if you haven't already. So what is the deal with the flute and the end mill? Generally Each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages. For instance, the One Flute End Mill is actually good at plunging, slot milling, and roughing, and you would generally use it for soft materials such as aluminum, plastic, nylon, anything that's gummy where you need to evacuate the chip. So like the One Flute, the Two Flute End Mill is great at evacuating chips and is generally good for plunge milling and slot milling. The 3-flute end mill is overall a solid tool and has been a machinist staple in cutting aluminum and non-ferrous materials for a very long time. It is a great tool that encompasses both sides of being able to remove the chip while also being rigid. The more flutes it has, the bigger the core. The core is ultimately what gives the end mill its rigidity and stops deflection. Normally when you're cutting aluminum you would use a three flute just because the material is gummy and you can evacuate the chip, but also it gives you a lot of flexibility with your program. You can rough, you can finish, you can slot, you can plunge, and it's generally a great tool for that. So five flute end mills like this core five. I have five flutes and specialize in finishing, roughing, some slot milling, dynamic milling, and tricodial milling. Because this has five flutes it allows us to take a smaller radial but at a more efficient and faster feed rate which ultimately reduces pressure on the tool and on the machine. And that's why in something like this Tormach the five flute can really shine. We can use low step over high axial engagements to really remove a lot of material. So just to wrap this up every end mill has its advantage and disadvantage. The one flute end mill Can do really good in plastics and plunge milling. The two flute end mill is great at slotting using non-ferrous materials, gummy materials, that way can evacuate the chips. A three flute is a great general tool. That has been a machinist staple in non-ferrous materials for a long time. The 5 Flute is great for finishing, roughing, dynamic and tricodial milling, and that has allowed us to cut at 1600 inches a minute. I hope this was a great video for you guys where we went through and broke down why and how we use the different end mills and the different flutes and what we use them for. If you like this video, make sure to hit like and subscribe if you haven't already. And stay tuned because we have some cool videos coming up.