Page 25 - Die_and_Molds_User_Guide_7861458_2017

Solid Carbide Endmills
ISCAR offers the die and mold makers a rich line of solid carbide endmills with 90˚ lead angle for
machining square shoulders. These tools with nominal diameters from 0.4 mm to 25 mm and
varied in form are intended for machining all types of materials used in the die and mold industry
such as tool and alloy steels, martensitic stainless steel, cast iron, etc. The tools differ in cutting
geometry, helix angle, number of flutes and length series (short to extra long) and perform all kinds
of milling: rough, semi-finish and finish operations.

ISCAR catalogs and leaflets contain detailed guidelines for using the solid carbide endmills in
shoulder milling. In general, recommended practice says that if the endmills with two flutes, which
have largest chip gullet characteristics, are intended mostly for rough shoulder machining, milling
slots and plunging; the multi-flute mills are usually used in finish applications with high requirements
of accuracy and surface quality.
Commonly, a tool choice and a cutting data depend on application requirements and workpiece
material. However, when speaking about feed limitations, it should be emphasized that the main
factors are not only tooth strength and tool rigidity, but also the ability of chip handling that is
defined by a chip gullet (a form of flute and its depth). Hence, due to the mentioned factors the
feed is limited by the nominal diameter and the number of flutes of a solid carbide endmill.

Endless cutting tool manufacturers from small shops to world-known companies produce solid
carbide endmills of the same sizes that often seem like copies of each other. However, in spite of
a formal resemblance, occasionally simply amazing, there is a great difference in performance and
tool life of the mills. The reason lies in carbide grades, grinding technology and of course, unique
features of cutting geometry.

Dry or wet
Dry machining (or using air as a coolant) is preferable for solid carbide endmills. In machining steels Milling Tools
and hard steels (ISO classes P and H correspondingly) by mills of IC900 and IC903 carbide grades,
a wet coolant is not recommended. If, however, an application requires wet cooling
(machining austenitic stainless steel, for instance), grade IC300 should be a first choice.

There are several carbide grades for ISCAR solid endmills.

The majority of the solid mills is produced from IC900 – a tough submicron substrate with PVD
TiAlN coating, which has wide-spectrum rough to finish applications at medium to high cutting
speeds in milling carbon, alloy, tool and stainless steel. Also, the grade is suitable for milling
hardened steel with hardness to HRC 55.
IC903 with an ultra-fine grain substrate with 12% cobalt content and PVD TiAlN coating can be
recommended for milling hardened steel, especially if its hardness is HRC 56-63 and even more.
The grade should not be used for heavy-duty machining.
IC300 is a tough submicron TiCN PVD coated grade that is suitable for machining steel
and stainless steel workpieces, specifically under unfavorable conditions, at low to medium
cutting speeds.
Uncoated fine-grain grade IC08 is aimed mainly at milling nonferrous materials.

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