Milling tips Technique - Helical interpolation When you think of holemaking, drilling and boring are usually the first methods that come to mind, however, milling cutters can be an economical and effective choice in certain applications. In this episode, we'll discuss the technique of creating holes from a solid, using Helical Intepolation. In this animation, we're producing a hole on an irregular surface using an indexable drill, Until the drill is fully engaged we have problems due to the drill being unbalanced. This causes vibration, the drill tends to wander, and this could cause insert breakage. The only remedy for this, slowing down the feed until the drill is fully engaged, but now you're loosing productivity. In this example, a large hole with a irregular surface is a perfect application, for using a milling cutter with helical interpolation. With this technique you're being efficient and productive, from the moment you engage into cut. The milling cutter moves simultaneously in a circular path, as well as axially at a defined pitch, What makes this technique so efficient, is that you are climb milling and generating a thick chip when you enter and a thin chip when you exit the cut, its not a faster method but it is more predictabe, it's a very secure process, and you get better hole quality. In summary: Creating holes from a solid using the technique of helical interpolation is a smart choice for... - Machining difficult materials - Components with Irregular surfaces - When mass production is not a priority - Issues with machine limitaitons such as power For more Smart tips contact one of our specialists or visit us at the Sandvik Coromant web site