The application methods of end mills in the carving of handicrafts

End mills are efficient and flexible processing tools in the engraving of handicrafts. Their application methods need to be comprehensively selected in combination with the material of the handicraft, the engraving accuracy and the design requirements. The following are the specific application scenarios and operation points:

First, material compatibility

Metal handicrafts

It is suitable for engraving soft metals such as copper and aluminum. Hard alloy end mills (such as corn milling cutters) should be selected. Their multi-blade design can disperse the cutting force and reduce tool wear. During processing, the cutting speed (recommended 80-120m/min) and feed rate (0.05-0.1mm/ tooth) should be controlled to avoid surface burrs caused by the ductility of the metal.

Wooden handicrafts

High-speed steel end mills can meet the engraving requirements of softwood such as pine and oak, and their sharpness is suitable for fine contour processing. Hardwoods (such as rosewood and walnut) should use end mills with helical grooves to reduce the tearing of wood fibers and improve the surface finish through climb milling.

Composite materials and jade

For jade carving, custom-made diamond-coated end mills are required to take advantage of their high hardness to achieve slotting and cutting. When processing, coolant should be used in combination to prevent the stone from cracking due to local overheating.

Second, engraving process design

Bas-relief and line carving

Use a flat-end milling cutter for planar milling, and select the tool diameter that matches the engraving line width (for example, a 0.5mm tool diameter corresponds to a 0.3mm line width). The helical down-cutting path is generated through CAM software to avoid the impact force generated by vertical feed.

Three-dimensional hollowed-out carving

Three-dimensional curved surface processing is carried out using ball-end end mills, and the tool radius needs to be less than the minimum engraving radius. When performing layer-by-layer milling, the cutting depth of each layer should not exceed 30% of the tool diameter, and a vacuum adsorption device should be used to remove chips in real time.

Micro-sculpture and detail processing

Micro end mills (with tool diameters of 0.1-0.3mm) are suitable for text and pattern engraving and need to be used in conjunction with high-precision five-axis machine tools. During processing, constant linear speed control is adopted, and the spindle speed is increased to 20,000-30,000 RPM to ensure cutting stability.

Third, optimization of technical parameters

Tool path planning

Priority should be given to the helical or oblique cutting method to reduce the contact between the area without cutting edge at the center of the tool and the workpiece. For the processing of closed slots, a step-by-step milling strategy is adopted: first, rough machining with a 0.2mm allowance, and then fine machining to the size.

Dynamic adjustment of cutting parameters

Set parameters according to the hardness classification of the material:

Soft metal: Cutting speed 100m/min, feed rate 0.1mm/ tooth

Hardwood: Cutting speed 60m/min, feed rate 0.08mm/ tooth

Jade: Cutting speed 30m/min, feed rate 0.03mm/ tooth

Cooling and Lubrication

Metal processing uses emulsion cooling, wood processing uses vegetable oil lubrication, and jade processing requires a cooling liquid circulation system. The coolant pressure should be controlled at 0.3-0.5MPa to ensure that the cutting zone is fully cooled.

Fourth, typical application cases

Metal badge engraving

Using a 2mm diameter carbide end mill, a 0.1mm layer deep helical feed path was generated through CAM software, reducing the processing time by 40% and achieving a surface roughness of Ra0.8μm.

The wooden ornament is hollowed-out

Three-dimensional engraving is achieved by using a 3mm diameter ball-end milling cutter in combination with five-axis linkage. During layer-by-layer milling, the cutting depth of each layer is 0.8mm, the total processing time is 2.5 hours, and the finished product accuracy is ±0.05mm.

Jade pendant micro-carving

Use a diamond-coated end mill with a diameter of 0.2mm, with a spindle speed of 25,000 RPM and a feed rate of 0.02mm per tooth. The tool wear is compensated in real time through the high-precision CCD detection system, and the width error of the finished product line is controlled within ±0.01mm.