b'Give and TakeEffectively milling aluminum requires balancing all elements of a cutting tool.By Alan Richter tool, such as an endmill, for an alumi-num application requires optimizing W hen a workpiece material is rel- the tools substrate, geometric features atively easy to machine and aand coating, if one is deposited.wide range of parts are made of it, aIt comes down to tailoring a tool to large number of part manufacturersa specific part and getting the most will machine it. As a result, shops mustout of it that you can, said Mitchell achieve a high level of productivity toParker, process improvement special-remain competitive, and thats cer- ist for LMT Onsrud LP, Waukegan, Illi-tainly the case with aluminum alloys. nois. You just have to have the right For the customer, its all about howcombination.many cubic inches of material they re- You think, It is aluminum, and any-move per minute, said Mike MacAr- thing can cut it, so you can use any thur, vice president of engineering fortool in the drawer, he added. To stay RobbJack Corp., Lincoln, California.competitive, there are factors in mak-The more chips they get out as fasting that high-performance tool that will as possible, the more money they areget the material removal rates up.going to make. One cutter doesnt fit all aluminum Selecting the appropriate cuttingmachining needs, so end users must A three-flute tool finishes an aluminum part.26JULY 2020Aluminum.indd 26 6/15/20 6:07 PM'