MACHINING TOOLS
HYTAC syntactic foams are best machined using tools designed to cut plastics. Following recommended guidelines for chip load and depth of cut will provide excellent finish results. Sharp tools must be used. Solid carbide tooling typically yields long tool life and best performance.
Standard tools available directly from CGP are shown below. A wide variety of optional tools, coatings may be available upon request.
Tools for Milling of syntactic and Protoblock
Double Flute Upcut Spiral - High helix geometry, solid carbide, designed to cut with a smooth finish and upward chip flow. Special point geometry for excellent bottom finish. Conventional milling is recommended. See Machining Guide for complete feed and speed recommendations.
High Finish Ball Nose - For contouring of syntntactic and Protoblock materials, CGP offers a solid carbide ball nose design with a uniquely designed point and highly polished primary clearance and flute to eliminate the tool marks typically associated with plastic machining. Conventional milling direction is recommended. See Machining Guide for complete feed and speed recommendations.
Tapered Ball Nose - Solid carbide tools available with a variety of taper angles and optimized geometry to produce a good edge finish in syntactic or Protoblock materials. Conventional milling direction is recommended. See Machining Guide for complete feed and speed recommendations.
Tools for Milling of Porous Material
Two Flute Aluminum Cutting Tools – Open flute geometry is optimized for slotting and profiling of METAPOR porous tooling materials. Climb milling direction is recommended. See METAPOR Machining Guide for complete feed and speed recommendations.
Two Flute Aluminum Ball Nose Cutting Tools - Polished flutes with optimized geometry for 3D contouring provide a smooth finish, long tool life and maximized productivity. See Machining Guide for complete feed and speed recommendations.
Photos used with permission of Onsrud Cutter.
