1. Basic Classification of Milling Cutters

By Flute Number

• 3-flute: General-purpose for aluminum; also applicable for light cutting of steel, balancing chip removal and rigidity.

• 4-flute: For carbon steel, stainless steel and mold steel; high rigidity and good surface finish, perfect for side milling and finishing.

• 5/6-flute: For hardened steel and quenched steel; low vibration and long service life, dedicated to high-speed finishing.

By Coating

• Uncoated: For aluminum, copper and non-metals; prevents chip adhesion.

• TiN (Gold): For ordinary steel and cast iron; cost-effective general use.

• TiCN (Purple-Blue): High wear resistance; for semi-finishing and finishing.

• AlTiN / TiAlN (Black-Grey / Purple-Black): High temperature resistance; suitable for stainless steel, mold steel and high-hardness materials.

• Nano Coating: For super-hard materials and high-speed machining; service life increased by 30%–50%.

By Shank & Cutting Edge Type

• Straight Shank: Most common; fits CNC machines and engraving machines.

• Taper Shank: For large gantry machines and heavy cutting.

• Flat End Mill: For grooving, plane machining and contouring.

• Corner Radius End Mill: Reduces edge chipping and wear; the first choice for mold finishing.

• Ball Nose End Mill: For curved surfaces, mold cavities and 3D modeling.

• Chamfer Mill: For deburring and edge chamfering.

2. Milling Cutter Selection by Workpiece Material

Aluminum / Copper / Plastic

• Flute: 2-flute or 3-flute with large chip grooves

• Coating: Uncoated or special aluminum-use coating

• Features: Large helix angle and deep chip grooves; anti-sticking and anti-chip clogging

• Note: Avoid 4-flute dense-tooth cutters, which easily cause chip blockage and tool burning.

Carbon Steel (45#, Q235)

• Flute: Standard 4-flute

• Coating: TiN / TiAlN

• Application: Universal for roughing, finishing and grooving; high cost performance.

Stainless Steel (304/316)

• Flute: 4-flute with unequal spacing anti-vibration design

• Coating: High-temperature resistant nano coating

• Operation: Low spindle speed, low feed rate and sufficient cooling to prevent edge sticking and chipping.

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Mold Steel / Quenched Steel (H13, P20, 718)

• Flute: 5/6-flute; corner radius type preferred

• Coating: High-end multi-layer nano coating

• Machining method: Small cutting depth, high spindle speed and layered cutting.

Cast Iron / Cast Steel

• Flute: 4-flute (with chip break grooves optional)

• Coating: General hard coating

• Note: Dry cutting recommended; blow dust to avoid tool wear from impurities.

3. Clamping & Operation Specifications

1. Tool Holder

   • Prioritize ER collet chuck with concentricity ≤ 0.005mm.

   • Replace worn or deformed collets immediately; eccentricity causes edge chipping.

     
     
2. Tool Overhang Length

   • Keep overhang as short as possible. Longer overhang leads to vibration and easy tool breakage.

   • Only retain the length required for machining.

     
     
3. Speed & Feed Principle

   • Aluminum: High speed & high feed

   • Ordinary steel: Medium speed & medium feed

   • Stainless / Hardened steel: Low speed & low feed with layered cutting

     
     
4. Cooling Method

   • Aluminum & steel: Sufficient emulsion cutting fluid

   • Stainless steel: Full pouring cooling to avoid high-temperature chip adhesion

   • Cast iron: Dry cutting with air blowing for dust removal

4. Daily Maintenance & Service Life Extension

Daily Inspection

Post-use Cleaning

• Remove iron/aluminum chips from flute grooves to prevent corrosion and blockage.

• Wipe clean, apply anti-rust oil, store vertically to avoid edge collision.

  
  

Storage Standard

• Store separately in plastic tubes or tool boxes; avoid mixed placement and edge impact.

• Classify by diameter, flute length and material for quick access.

Wear Scrapping Standard

• Cutting edge appears white wear marks, notches or serrations.

• Machined surface has lines, poor roughness or vibration patterns.

• Abnormal cutting noise and obvious machine vibration.

• Dimensional deviation under the same processing parameters.

Re-grinding & Reuse

• Cemented carbide milling cutters can be professionally reground 2–3 times.

• Reground cutters shall be downgraded: finishing → roughing, steel machining → cast iron machining.

5. Common Troubleshooting

• Easy tool breakage: Excessive overhang, incorrect speed/feed, rapid downward cutting, collet eccentricity.

• Chip adhesion: Soft workpiece material, improper groove type, insufficient cooling, low spindle speed.

• Poor surface finish: Worn cutting edge, tool vibration, excessive feed rate, poor concentricity.

• Stainless steel tool burning: Mismatched coating, non-layered cutting, insufficient cooling, aggressive parameters.