Carbide end mill for pistol manufacturing

Azimuth Technology is a contract manufacturer dedicated to large-run manufacturing for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and large volume partners. The company’s key products include drop-in barrels, pistol slides, and bolt carrier groups.

Azimuth was looking to improve tool performance on pistol slide production. The part is made of 17-4 stainless steel and has an annual production volume of more than 100,000 pieces.

The part requires slotting with a 4mm end mill to leave room for cleanup with a finishing end mill. The pocket on the part is 0.27" x 0.5" x 0.18" (DxLxW). Each part has one pocket and requires parallel walls with a ±0.001" tolerance on the right angle when finished. The parts are processed using an Okuma Genos 460-VE 40-taper vertical CNC machining center and the tools are held by a hydraulic milling chuck.

Azimuth was using a 4mm diameter 3-flute end mill with coolant through the shank and a hydraulic tool holder to reduce runout on the tool and increase clamping pressures on the tool shank. However, Azimuth was experiencing inconsistent tool wear affecting the consistency of tooling expenses which varied month-to-month. Azimuth couldn’t predict tool change, resulting in tool breakage and unwanted machine downtime.

Azimuth had used OSG taps and drills, so Sal Pinnola, OSG USA’s Florida territory sales manager, had the opportunity to conduct a test trial of high-performance end mills with Azimuth.

Pinnola recommended a 4mm diameter 4-flute AE-VMS square carbide end mill with 11mm length of cut. The AE-VMS short carbide end mill is designed to attain milling efficiency coupled with superb finish quality suitable for various milling applications.

The short-type AE-VMS enables stable machining with a unique flute form achieving tool rigidity and trouble-free chip evacuation while suppressing burrs, a common obstacle in part processing. With DUARISE coating, tool life can be enhanced by lubricity, friction resistance, and high oxidation temperature qualities. The AE-VM series accommodates slotting, side milling, helical milling, contour milling, and ramping in stainless steel, cast iron, carbon steel, alloy steel, and hardened steel.

Azimuth’s vertical machining center uses a water-soluble coolant and can run the AE-VMS without any coolant through the spindle. During the trial, Azimuth ran the AE-VMS end mill at 200sfm (61m/min), a spindle speed of 4,850rpm, a feed per tooth of 0.0013" (0.033mm/t), a table feed of 25.22 inch/min (640mm/min), and an axial depth of cut of 0.09" per pass performing a slotting function with a metal removal rate of 0.357 inch³/min. The competitor tool was used at 350sfm (107m/min), a spindle speed of 8,520rpm, a feed per tooth 0.001" (0.0254 mm/t), a table feed of 25.56 inch/min (649mm/min), and an axial depth of cut of 0.06" (1.524mm) per pass with a metal removal rate of 0.242 inch3/min.

The competitor’s tool life averaged around 50 cycles at five parts per cycle, equivalent to 250 parts. The AE-VMS carbide end mill can complete 350 parts before wearing out. By switching to the AE-VMS end mill, Azimuth increased tool life by 40%, with approximately 20 more cycles and 100 more parts. The improvement facilitated more machine uptime, shortened cycle time, and reduced the cost per tool by more than 50% in this application, leading to more than $18,000 savings per year.

OSG USA https://osgtool.com

Azimuth Technology https://azimuthtechnology.com