The Various Types of Milling Cutters

Milling cutters are cutting tools used in milling machined and are generally attached vertically. They are used to remove material by their movement inside the machine because they have two or more helix flutes. The names of milling cutters generally describe how the cutters perform. Milling cutters can be configured in several ways including a solid construction, holder, or inserts construction. Their tip or end geometries can also be of several different designs including square end, ball nose, and radius tip, or chamfer end. In addition, milling cutters can also have a finishing type such as roughing or hogging, or finishing.

Milling cutters that cut with their ends and on their sides are called end mills, whereas milling cutters that cut with their ends only are referred to as face mills. The creation of a flat face on the work piece, thus the term face mills. Face mills generally have larger diameters than the width of the workpiece, which is being faced. This means that the surface of the workpiece can be processed in a single pass. The largest types of face or end mills are shell mills. These mount onto an arbor, instead of having an integral shank.

Slab mills cut with their peripheral edges and generally have helical cutting edges. Slab mills are normally mounted horizontally to create plane finishes on the workpiece. Plunge mills are designed for plunging the cutter directly into the material being milled, whereas single angle cutters have one side angled in order to produce a chamfer or angle on the edge of the workpiece. Single angle cutters are angled on one side to produce an angle or chamfer on the workpiece edge.

The dovetail milling cutters are specially designed tools used for cutting a dovetail groove into a workpiece. A dovetail is a fan-shaped tenon, which forms a tight interlocking joint when fitted into a matching mortise.

Keyseat cutters are used to produce a slot that acts as a seat for a corresponding engagement key. Keyseat cutters are used to key shafts to prevent unwanted rotation and provide positive engagement. The side cutting edges of the T-slot cutters feed into the workpiece to produce a "T" slot.

To create a convex feature or a male semicircle on a workpiece concave formed cutters are used, on the other hand, in order to create a concave feature or a female semicircle, convex formed cutters will be used.

To cut tooth forms on gears, machinists use gear hob milling cutters and to produce teeth of an involted form gear hobs and cutters are ground.

Button or copy cutters use round inserts known as "buttons" instead of square or triangular inserts. The round inserts permit enhanced feed rates and depth of cuts using lower power.