charlie_kelly•3d agoProlific Poster

I finally got the hang of using a 0.5mm stepover for finishing passes on aluminum

Last month, I was running a job on a Haas VF2, making some small brackets, and the finish just looked kinda streaky. My lead guy walked by and said to try dropping the stepover way down for the last pass. I set it to 0.5mm with a 10mm endmill, and the difference was crazy. The parts came out looking almost polished, with no visible tool marks. It added maybe two minutes to the cycle time, but the customer loved it. Has anyone else found a sweet spot for stepovers on different materials?

3 comments

3 Comments

sethr113d ago

Man, I gotta disagree with @derek_coleman on this one. A perfect finish can be what gets you the next job, and that extra couple minutes is worth it in my book.

miles_perez3d ago

My old shop always pushed for speed, but that 0.5mm stepover is a game changer.

derek_coleman3d ago

Speed still pays the bills though. That tiny stepover takes forever on big parts. Time is money in a real shop.