Adjustable Milling Cutters

A new family of high speed milling (HSM) adjustable end mills and face mills from Iscar are said to improve milling of aluminum, non-metallics, cast iron and hardened steel, especially in automotive and aerospace applications. The dynamically balanced cutters are designed to work with polycrystalline diamond (PCD) or cubic boron nitride (CBN) inserts, which provide cutting edge protection and quality surface finishes, the company says. They also accommodate standard HSM-rated Helido 2000 carbide inserts.

In both the end mills and face mills, internal coolant holes ensure a cooler cutting face while improving chip evacuation and resistance to built-up edge. Insert pockets feature a flexible rear stopper, which can be adjusted by a slanted screw to enable axial positioning of the cutting edge within 0.00008" (0.002 mm). End mills are available with HSK A63 shanks in four diameters ranging from 1" to 2" (25 to 50 mm). Face mills cover the 2" to 3" (50- to 80-mm) diameter range, also in four sizes.

When used with Helido carbide inserts, the adjustable HSM cutters are said to deliver smooth cutting action with low cutting forces. Helido inserts’ helical cutting edges gently enter the workpiece a bit at a time to reduce impact loads at the cutting face.