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Product Feeds and Speeds is there a free no license PC program?

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slow-poke

slow-poke

Ultra Member
My mill runs under Mach3 with Win7 (16) as if on an island with no network (by design). I figure I have saved a life time of headaches not having to live with all the things that break with Win updates virus checking etc. So far it has been completely trouble free for many years so I would like to keep it that way.

Looking for a feeds and speeds calculator that will run under Win7, that I can download on my regular PC and then install on the mill PC with just the install program on a USB stick.

If I have to pay for one I will but would prefer a free version if a decent one exists.

HSM advisor appears to require payment after 30 days

FSWizard seems to be more of an App for a phone, and the online version will not work on my island.

Any suggestions?
 
There are a number of free phone apps. I use the walter one. There is one from sandvik and others.
 
Eg
 

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Did you do some searching online? I can't believe there are not any programs out there. or spreadsheets maybe. Post a thread when you find something good.
 
littlemachineshop.com

Cutting Speeds

This page gives cutting speeds for turning, milling, and drilling of several different materials. It includes a calculator to figure the spindle speed required.
littlemachineshop.com littlemachineshop.com
 
slow-poke said:
FSWizard seems to be more of an App for a phone, and the online version will not work on my island.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

You won't find any feed, speed charts or software's that will nail down what you should be using on your mill at this time unfortunately.

Certainly not using a 2" indexable facemill plowing through interrupted cuts on your mill with 1.5HP using deep dished inserts in any type of material . You'll need a bit of direction from the guys here.

Perhaps, Open AI will help with that in the future....Including what type of set up you would need.

Until then, I would do the @Degen 'titan' approach above in his post, along with the help of the forum guys here.

Other than that, your ears and eyes along with the "feed-arm-wrist-handle-chatter", color and formation of chips, will tell you when to back off or speed things up.


Your doin' alrite,
It will come to you!
 
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If in steel, of unknown veracity, from scrap behind the shed, it’s a guessing game until the tool hits it. In mild low carbon or “ free” machine steels like 1018, cold rolled etc and up to higher carbon and most tool steels you can watch how the chip changes colour.
Brownish is low heat, dark blue is good range, light blue is the higher range and you should consider backing the speed down. Feed is also a contributor to heat generation, at the low end of not enough to the high end of too much. It’s a matter of the right combo to get more heat into the chip and less at the cutting edge
Sfm is broad, you might be down to 80 on that old axle shaft, 500 on cold rolled bar, going slower than potential is not a worry, if it’s cutting well don’t sweat it, the job is getting done. A generic run of the mill insert will get you home on most jobs, until you hit a melted file in a scrap piece.
There is always exceptions to those rules, and you will eventually find them.
Experience is the thing you get immediately after the exact time you needed it.
 
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I have one of their products, but they also tooling speed and feeds calculator.

I've tried it but find for my I can push it further than what it suggests.

I use their product to optimize tool path and feed rates beyond what the built in Centroid software does. As any good CNC machinist will tell you that the faster and more material you can remove without causing adverse effects or more costs the better you profit is.
 
gerritv said:
www.machiningdoctor.com

Techincal Data for the Machining Industry - Machining Doctor

A one-stop-shop for all your Machining needs! Calculators, charts, Raw materials, Carbide grades, Threading standards and much more...
www.machiningdoctor.com www.machiningdoctor.com
Click to expand...
I’ve taken a brief tour through their offerings. It’s an excellent product from what I’ve seen. It’s easy to use if you already understand the terminology they use.
They also do a pretty good job of explaining the terminology, though that would take hours to go through and then a lot of backtracking to see why and what applies to your situation.
For people like me with some form of learning disability it might seem a lot like trying to teach someone how to tie a shoelace over a landline telephone. For those of us with a pretty good understanding of the terminology it is an immediately useful program. For others starting out it is a good educational tool as well, maybe a bit bewildering at first, but hey there is a lot of expertise in this forum to answer any questions that may arise.
 
Degen said:
I've taken the "Titan" approach start off slower and lighter and keep increasing till the finish starts to drop off. Use the number for those type of cuts.
Click to expand...
Or (gasp) switch to carbide and never worry about speeds again. They are VERY forgiving, unless you beat them with a hammer. That said, CNC milling is a whole nother kettle of fish.
 
99% of my stuff is Carbide and yes its CNC, feeds done by hand or power feeders do not match what you can achieve with CNC.

One of my old machinist friends started my off on this path even with HS cutters. As go done this path regardless of cutter material (HS, Carbide or some other exotic mix) coolant becomes a big factor along with machine HP and machine rigidity. In most cases the last two will be your biggest limitation.
 
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