Video: Finish-Milling Titanium With A 20-Flute End Mill
A tool with many flutes can be effective for achieving a productive metal removal rate in titanium, where speed and chip load are constrained. See how quickly the chips accumulate in this video.
A tool with many flutes permits a productive metal removal rate in titanium. Speed and chip load are both limited in titanium, so productivity has to come from other factors. A large number of flutes can multiply a low value of chip load (inches per tooth) into a productive linear feed rate (inches per minute). The 20-flute end mill shown here is a finishing tool, because it requires a low radial depth of cut. However, the accumulation of chips in this video illustrates the material removal rate it can achieve in this difficult-to-machine material. (Video courtesy of Boeing Research and Technology.)
