Yes twice on a 1" HS endmill, very light cut. As near as I can guess is the bit deflected under cutting loads (not uncommon) however because it was HS tooling it rebounded slightly, caught dug in and BANG snapped. This rebound together with endplay in the slides or vertical feed is just compounded.Looks like I twisted off a 1/2" shank 3/4" two flute end mill today???
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I was milling the flat and bang it twisted off. Classic spiral torsion failure. The flute weren't damaged, it just twisted off???
Anyone else encountered this before?
I have many old HSS, some this same style. They are in a box all rusted,,, I stick to carbide now..Yes twice on a 1" HS endmill, very light cut. As near as I can guess is the bit deflected under cutting loads (not uncommon) however because it was HS tooling it rebounded slightly, caught dug in and BANG snapped. This rebound together with endplay in the slides or vertical feed is just compounded.
Carbide does not flex or catch as easily IMHO. One of the reasons I use carbide.
Did the part move? I’ve broken EMs when I didn’t have good solid work holding. What rpm and what depth ? Is that known steel or mystery meat - did you hit a hard inclusion? You’re traversing left to right and using conventional not climb milling? What step over?
Some one needs to explain to me how conventional milling applies when milling a slot???
In this case I was milling a flat with only two surfaces interfacing with the tool. The back vertical face and the bottom flat and as far a I can tell I was conventional milling as in driving the work piece towards the advancing cutting edge.
Mostly I'm curious if people have had one twist off like this. I've toasted other endmills by breaking flutes etc. but have never had one fail in torsion like this. 1/2" shank sheared right off.
I would suspect a flawed end mill. If it was depth of cut or feed issues, I think you’d have broken a flute, not the shank.