Got schooled by a retired machinist about my toolpath strategy last Thursday

I was complaining to this old guy at the local shop about how my cycle times were creeping up. He asked to see my program and just laughed, said I was treating the material like it was glass. He showed me how he'd rough out a part with a 1/2 inch endmill taking a full diameter cut at 200 IPM. Told me I was way too conservative with my stepovers and could double my feed without chatter. I tried his approach on a mild steel job the next day and cut 4 minutes off a 12 minute cycle. Has anyone else had an old timer completely rewrite how you think about feeds?

2 comments

2 Comments

bennett.claire3d ago

Depends what you're making though. Not every shop runs the same parts with the same tolerances and if you're doing aerospace or medical that old timer's advice is how you scrap a batch.

diana_moore753d ago

Right? It's the SAME thing with people who think old family recipes are always better. Context MATTERS.