Difference between conventional and climb mill?

[graphicmetals]

What is the difference between conventional and climb mill?

The cutter always travels in the direction the vector is set for (either clockwise or anti-clockwise), so what is the purpose of the climb or conventional setting?

-Kevin

[rgbrown@itexas.net]

Kevin,

To answer the question, one would need a little or lot more information. Climb milling is my "preferred" direction in wood and most other materials. There are a lot of reasons for any particular choice in many milling/routing operations. Speed, chip clearing, finish, shear direction, material, bit construction and personal preference are but a few.

Ron

[gerald_d]

Kevin, in "climb milling" a very flexible (and blunt) cutter would tend to climb onto the material, instead of cutting in to it - hence the name.

The general rule of going anti-clockwise around the outside of a part has to do with chipped corners. Climb milling leaves the chipped corners on the finished job while "conventional" milling removes its own chipped corners as it goes along.


4179

However, if your part doesn't have sharp corners/points, and you are cutting a full cutter width groove, the direction makes hardly any difference.

When you are taking light "finishing" cuts off the edge of the part (much less than cutter radius) then all sorts of factors come in, like Ron mentioned.

[gerald_d]

Another reference (http://www.hanita.com/hanita_protected/tec00006.htm) (from the metal industry).

Google will give you plenty of references from the metal industries. Search for "climb milling conventional".

[sheldon@dingwallguitars.com]

Experimentation is also in order. Climb cutting deflects the bit away from the cut and conventional towards it. This makes a huge difference when trying to get parts to fit.

Also, excepting Gerald's example, climb cutting usually causes less tearout with heavy cuts but for a cleanup pass, conventional often leaves a cleaner finish.

[graphicmetals]

It seems that once again I have muddled the waters and not made myself clear. The explanations and the diagram were helpful, but what I am really asking is that in Part Wizard, what difference does the "climb milling" and "conventional" radio buttons make? They have zero effect on the direction of travel of the cutter. The direction of travel is set as either clockwise or anticlockwise from the right mouse button pop-up menu.

-Kevin