A Complete Overview of Face Milling, Its Process, Applications and Advantages

Face milling is an important metal-cutting operation in manufacturing. Here, it cuts the flat surfaces of the workpiece. This machining process uses different tools with several cutting edges; to cut material from the surface of a workpiece and create a smooth surface. From this article, both the experienced machinists and the beginners will learn a lot about the essential aspects of face milling. This article will therefore explain in detail what face milling is, the uses of face milling, and how to get the best out of face milling.

Face Milling Definition?

Face milling forms flat and smooth work surfaces produced on the workpiece like a machining process. It’s a metal-cutting process having a tool in the perpendicular direction to the surface of the workpiece. As a rule, it is carried out using a tool containing one or more cutting edges. These tools are then fed around the edge to cut the surface of the workpiece. The main purpose is to achieve a load-bearing. Besides this, it gives an accurate and flat surface. So, it can give surface finish and dimensional accuracy within set limits.

How Does Face Milling Work?

The main purpose of face milling is to produce a uniform plane surface. So, here’s how the process works.

1. Tool Rotation and Contact

In the face milling cutter, the cutter has its rotary axis of movement. This rotation is most often flat and located in the vicinity of the workpiece. Moreover, the cutting edges of the tool are disposed of. The tool-cutting edges meet the workpiece at a certain rake angle. So, it is mainly influenced by tool geometry and its posture.

2. Material Removal

While using this tool, the tool’s cutting edges get into touch with the workpiece and cut across a thin layer of material on the surface of the workpiece. This material removal happens through a combination of two forces: In terms of symmetry radial and axial.

• Radial Forces: These are the forces that are applied on the cutter head of the drill and act perpendicular to the axis of the cutter. They take away most of the metal from the surface. So, they give the flatness in face milling.
• Axial Forces: These act in the perpendicular direction of the cutter. Moreover, they have control over the depth of contact, surface finish, and tool wear.

3. Cutting Action

In face milling, every tooth of the cutter cuts the workpiece for some time, then leaves it, and then cuts it again. In this process, we undergo chip formation. Besides this, the chip thickness and the removal rate are defined here. It is typically based on the speed, feed rate, and depth of cut. The combination of these parameters properly optimizes the cut and reduces tool wear. Moreover, it provides a nice finish to the surface.

4. Resulting Surface

Face milling results in a flat which when enhanced produces a smooth finish. The nature of this surface depends chiefly on the state of the cutting tool, the number of teeth it contains, and the extent of the cutting operation. This machining is particularly suitable in cases where the generation of contact surfaces is required. Moreover, these are important in different products manufacturing.

What are the Suitable Materials for Face Milling?

Face milling is suitable for a wide range of materials, including:

1. Aluminum: Aim at high-speed operations: easy to machine and relatively lighter than other metals.
2. Steel: Appliant in car manufacture, and structural frameworks, therefore requires instruments with high toughness.
3. Cast Iron: Screw threads used in many industrial presses, typically in high load, usually need some cutting tools to be used frequently.
4. Copper and Brass: Applied in electrical fixtures and for decoration purposes.

Selecting the Right Tool for Face Milling

Here are some important tips you can keep in mind for selecting the right tool for face milling.

1. Workpiece Material: For soft materials such as aluminum it is advisable to use HSS or carbide tools. For hard materials, i.e. steel, we should use a carbide insert or ceramic tool.
2. Type of Finish: Select tools with fewer teeth but larger ones for roughing. Besides this, go with the number of fine teeth for finishing so, that the desired surface finish can be obtained.
3. Depth of Cut: You can use stronger, simpler tools for stability and a high-quality final result. For shallow cutting, more complex tools with several sides are helpful.
4. Spindle Speed: As with feed, vary spindle speed to match material and operation type. Faster spindle speeds are for finishing soft materials whereas slower speeds are for cutting harder materials and heavy cutting.
5. Tool Material & Coating: Carbide inserts with TiN or TiAlN coating are more durable and heat resistant. So, they increase speed and long tool life.
6. Tool Geometry: Decide on insert shapes and tooth count depending on their stability and the level of the surface finish wanted. The higher the number of teeth, the higher the quality of the finish, yet the control is more sensitive.

Advantages of Face Milling

So, the following are the main advantages of  Face milling:

1. High Surface Finish Quality: It provides flat and smooth surfaces which are useful in providing reference surfaces or finishing surfaces on materials.
2. Versatility: Face milling can be done on different materials, from soft aluminum to tough steel. The material type depends on the cutter we use and the cutting parameters.
3. Efficiency: The removal rate is high and it can free material at high rates, especially in roughing operations. So, it eventually increases the rate of the process.
4. Precision: It has a high degree of accuracy so, we can achieve that dimensional and surface precision.

 Disadvantages of Face Milling

Here are some limitations of face milling:

1. High Tool Wear: Face milling involves a very huge contact surface between the cutting tool and the workpiece. Therefore, the possibility of tool wear is very high, especially at high speeds or when the workpiece is a very hard one.
2. Setup Complexity: Every operation must be well set and properly positioned. So, it can help achieve its best performance. But it’s time-consuming.
3. Cost: The tools especially carbide inserts or special cutting coating tools, are quite costly. Many of the tools get worn out and may require frequent replacement adding to the overall cost.
4. Heat Generation: It also produces a lot of heat and if not controlled may lead to a reduction of the usable life of the tools and poor finishes.

Applications of Face Milling

Here are some important applications of face milling:

1. Surface Flattening: Facing is usually done to get a clean, flat, and smooth surface finish. Spo would be required either for the reference plane or for getting the finish machining on the workpiece.
2. Slotting and Pocketing: The technique is employed to generate the small and intricate datum of slots, pockets, and complex outlines in many forms of substance. These help manufacture mechanisms such as engine components and machinery.
3. Cast Surface Cleanup: In face milling, there is an ability to shave off any unevenness and unnecessary material on metallic workpieces before subsequent operations.
4. Tool and Die Making: Face milling is widely used in the making of tools and dies. It is necessary to point out that it is one of the most indispensable operations to reach the appropriate level of tolerance.
5. Gearbox Housing Machining: Face milling is used to produce wide flat surfaces on a component, i.e. those of the gearbox housings that require more dimensional accuracy for assembly purposes.

Considerations While Selecting Face Milling

If you are choosing the face milling technique, you must consider the following factors:

1. Workpiece Material: Choose a tool material that will suit the working material or else it will be blunt/dull when used on the workpiece.
2. Surface Finish Requirements: Select the insert geometries to get the required surface finish.
3. Machine Capability: Make sure the machine is capable of withstanding the cutting parameters set for it without affecting precision.
4. Tool Life vs Cost: It is necessary to consider the tool cost and it’s a useful working life to strike the right balance between production cost.

Conclusion

In conclusion, face milling is one of the most basic but essential tasks in machining. It gives high accuracy and productivity in cutting flat surfaces. So, in this article, we present the various features of face milling and ways they can be improved to get the best outcomes in manufacturing units. Together with steel and aluminum, we can use different types of materials for milling. Moreover, the proper tools and methods can define the quality of the products. So, as you penetrate deeper into the face-milling processes. So, make sure to avoid design complexities and poor technology options. In addition to this, must focus on the different measures like maintenance and planning of the design part.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What’s the difference between face milling and end milling? Know more about it.

Face milling helps produce a workpiece with a flat surface. While end milling deals with edges or slots.

Q2. Is it possible to use face milling in hard materials applications?

Yes, face milling is suitable for hard materials. You must use the right cutting tools and parameters, i.e. steel and cast iron to cut the material.

Q3. What are methods to improve the surface finish in face milling?

We can enhance the finishing in face milling by following these methods;

1. Select the appropriate type of inserts
2. Adjust the proper speed and feed per tooth
3. Use coolant for better results.

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