Tag Archive for: Double Angle Shank Cutter

Why You Should Stop Deburring by Hand

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Deburring is a process in which sharp edges and burrs are removed from a part to create a more aesthetically pleasing final product. After milling, parts are typically taken off the machine and sent off to the Deburring Department. Here, the burrs and sharp points are removed, traditionally by hand. However, an operation that takes an hour by hand can be reduced to mere minutes by deburring parts right in the machine with high precision CNC deburring tools, making hand deburring a thing of the past.

High Precision Tools

Hand deburring tools often have a sharp hook-shaped blade on the end, which is used to scrape/slice off the burrs as it passes along the edge of the part. These tools are fairly simple and easy to use, but much less efficient and precise than CNC deburring tools.

hand deburring
Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Deburring_tool.jpg

CNC deburring tools are also held to much tighter tolerances than traditional hand-deburring tools. Traditional cylindrical deburring tools typically have a diameter-tolerance window of +/- .008 versus a CNC deburring end mill which has a diameter tolerance of +/-.0005. The tighter tolerance design eliminates the location issues found in traditional deburring tools with loose tolerances, allowing them to be programmed like a traditional end mill.

While hand deburring tools often have just a single blade, CNC deburring tools feature double cut patterns and a high number of flutes. The double cut pattern contains both right hand and left hand teeth, which results in an improved finish. These tools leave completed parts looking far superior to their hand-deburred counterparts, with more consistent and controlled edge breaks. Additionally, there is a large variety of CNC deburring tools available today which can take full advantage of multi-axis machines and the most complex tool paths. For example, Harvey Tool’s 270° Undercutting End Mill is a great choice for multi-axis and more complex deburring options. Further, Deburring Chamfer Cutters are multi-use tools that can perform both chamfering and deburring accurately with no need for a tool change.

cnc deburring

Reduce Production Costs and Increase Profits

Having an entire department dedicated to deburring can be costly, and many smaller businesses may have pulled employees off other jobs to help with deburring, which hampers production. Taking employees off the deburring station and asking them to run more parts or man another department can help keep labor costs low while still increasing production rates.

cnc deburring
Stop Deburring By Hand and Increase Your Profits

By deburring right in the CNC machine, parts can be completed in one machining operation. The double-cut pattern found on many deburring tools also allows for increased speeds and feeds. This helps to reduce cycle times even further, saving hours of work and increasing production efficiency. Deburring in the machine is a highly repeatable process that reduces overall cycle times and allows for more efficient finishing of a part. In addition, CNC machines are going to be more accurate than manual operations, leading to fewer scrapped parts due to human error and inconsistencies.

STOP Deburring by Hand With Harvey Tool’s Wide Selection of Deburring Solutions

Simply put, the precision and accuracy of the CNC machine, along with the cost and time savings associated with keeping the part in the machine from start to finish, makes deburring in the CNC machine one of the easiest way to increase your shop’s efficiency.

6 Uses of Double Angle Shank Cutters

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A Double Angle Shank Cutter is often referred to as the “Swiss Army Knife of Machining” due to its extreme versatility. This singular tool can be used for chamfering, back chamfering, V-groove milling, deburring, and countersinking. Below, we’ll learn the nuances of each operation, and why a Double Angle Shank Cutter might is an excellent tool to have on hand in any machine shop.

Thread Milling

Both in purpose and look, a Double Angle Shank Cutter is very similar to that of a single-form thread mill. Single-form thread mills are more versatile than multi-form thread mills, as they are not locked into a fixed pitch. Double Angle Shank Cutters that have a 60° angle can create internal and external 60° Unified National (UN) and metric threads. Double Angle Shank Cutters with a 55° angle can be used to thread 55° British Standard Pipe Threads (BSPT). To determine the thread sizes that various Double Angle Shank Cutters can produce, it’s helpful to consult thread fit charts, which pair appropriate cutter diameters to the thread size needed.

thread milling

Chamfering

Depending on the requirements of your chamfering operation, and the angle of the chamfer you’re creating on your part, a Double Angle Shank Cutter might be appropriate. The angle of the top or bottom of the cutting face of the tool (called out below in as a B1 dimension), will determine the angle of your part’s chamfer. The area marked in red in Figures 2 and 3 below indicate the cutting portion for your chamfering and back chamfering (leaving a chamfer on the bottom of a part) operation.

chamfering with Double Angle Shank Cutter

For more information on the angles of Double Angle Shank Cutters, view Harvey Tool’s helpful guide: “Angles Untangled.”

Back Chamfering

Consider a through-hole that has a burr or tear-out caused from drilling the back of a workpiece. Reorienting the workpiece and relocating the hole is time-consuming, and it may be difficult to accurately finish the hole. In a case like this, back chamfering the burred hole without changing the setup is a preferred method. Put simply, the ability to accurately chamfer not only the top – but also the bottom of a part without needing to refasten the workpiece in your machine will save valuable time and money.

back chamfering

For best results when chamfering with Double Angle Shank Cutters, use a stepping over technique with diminishing passes as the radial engagement increases. This strategy helps to manage the amount of contact along the angle and can significantly avoid tool deflection.

Machining V-Grooves

A Double Angle Shank Cutter is commonly applied for machining V-groove profiles because of its cutting head, which is perpendicular to the tool centerline. This provides effective cutting action, even at a low spindle speed. A low tip speed can lead to issues with other tools, such as Chamfer Cutters, where the pointed profile is on-center of the tool.

machining v-grooves

Deburring

The task of hand-deburring parts can be tiresome for you, and cost inefficient for your shop. It can also lead to inaccuracies in parts that require precise dimensions. Double Angle Shank Cutters can be used to debur a part right in your CNC machine. By doing so, the process of finishing a part is made simple, fast, and accurate. Of course, ensuring proper clearance prior to machining the bottom of a machined hole is pivotal.

deburring with Double Angle Shank Cutter

Other useful and versatile tools to have on-hand for quick CNC deburring include deburring end mills, back deburring mills, undercutting end mills, and chamfer cutters.

Countersinking

Countersinking a part  is done so a screw, nail, or bolt is able to sit flush with the part surface. Using specialty profile tooling can help enlarge the rim of a drilled hole and bevel the sides for a screw to sit accurately. A Double Angle Shank Cutter can also perform this operation by using the bottom portion of its cutting face.

Double Angle Shank Cutter for countersinking

Because of its ability to perform six different operations, Double Angle Shank Cutters are an ideal tool to keep in your tool carousel. In a bind, these tool forms can mill threads, chamfer, back chamfer, machine v-grooves, deburr in your CNC machine, and countersink. This versatility makes it a machining favorite and can offer shops boosted productivity by eliminating the need to flip parts, deburr by hand, or carry multiple tool forms.

For more on Harvey Tool Double Angle Shank Cutters, Click Here.