Common Milling Cutters in Machining

I. Classification by Structure (Solid vs. Assembled)

1. Solid End Mill

Description: The cutter body and cutting teeth are a single piece, typically made of High-Speed Steel (HSS) or solid carbide.

Characteristics: Offers high rigidity and precision; it is the most common type of milling cutter.

Applications: Widely used for contour milling, shoulder milling, face milling, drilling, and slotting.

2. Indexable End Mill

Description: Indexable carbide inserts are mounted onto the cutter body. Once a cutting edge is dulled, it can be rotated to a fresh, unused edge without the need for regrinding.

Characteristics: Cost-effective and highly efficient, as it eliminates tool grinding. However, overall rigidity is slightly lower than that of solid end mills.

Applications: Roughing and semi-finishing, especially on large workpieces or difficult-to-machine materials.

II. Classification by Function and Application

1. End Mill

Description: Cutting edges are located on both the periphery and the end face, allowing for simultaneous radial and axial cutting.

Applications: The most versatile type of end mill, used for face milling, shoulder milling, pocket milling, and contour machining.

2. Face Mill

Description: Features a large diameter and is primarily used for milling large, flat surfaces. The cutter body holds multiple indexable inserts.

Characteristics: High metal removal rate and good surface finish quality.

Applications: Milling large-area flat surfaces.

3. Side and Face Cutter

Description: Has cutting teeth on its circumference and both sides.

Applications: Specifically designed for milling narrow, deep, square slots or shoulders.

4. Slitting Saw / Saw Blade Cutter

Description: Very thin, resembling a circular saw, with a relatively low number of teeth.

Applications: Used for cutting narrow slots, parting-off, and slotting.

5. Ball Nose End Mill

Description: The end is ground to a hemispherical shape.

Applications: Primarily used for 3D contouring, semi-finishing and finishing of mold cavities, and engraving. 

6. Corner Radius End Mill / Bull Nose End Mill

Description: Features a rounded corner at the end.

Applications: Used for pocket milling, 2D contouring, and profile milling. The corner strength is higher than that of a 90-degree square end mill.

7. T-Slot Cutter

Description: Specially designed for milling T-slots.

Applications: Machining T-slots in machine tool tables, etc.

8. Thread Mill

Description: Used to produce threads inside holes or on cylinders.

Applications: High-precision thread machining, particularly suitable for large workpieces or difficult-to-machine materials.

9. Keyseat Cutter

Description: Typically has two flutes and can cut directly from the end, similar to a drill.

Applications: Specifically designed for milling keyways on shafts.

10. Corn Cob Cutter / Roughing End Mill

Description: A type of roughing end mill with multiple rows of staggered, indexable inserts, resembling a corn cob.

Characteristics: Large chip gullet for good chip evacuation, reduced vibration, and extremely high metal removal rates.

Applications: Heavy-duty roughing of large workpieces.

III. Classification by Number of Teeth

Coarse Pitch (Low Tooth Count): Larger chip gullets provide better chip evacuation, suitable for roughing and machining soft materials (like aluminum).

Fine Pitch (High Tooth Count): More teeth are in cut simultaneously, resulting in smoother operation, suitable for finishing and on rigid machine tools.

IV. Classification by Material

High-Speed Steel (HSS): Good toughness and lower cost; suitable for low-speed machining and complex cutter geometries.

Solid Carbide: High hardness and wear resistance; the mainstream choice for modern CNC machining.

Coated Tools: Coatings (e.g., TiN, TiAlN, DLC) applied to a carbide substrate significantly increase hardness, wear resistance, and heat resistance.

Selecting the correct milling cutter requires consideration of the workpiece material, type of operation (roughing/finishing), machine tool power and rigidity, and the required surface finish.