What's High Speed for a Top-Quality CNC?

Question
I was talking to a German fellow the other day who has spent many years running CNC's. He is currently working for a company which has a Weeke CNC, and he was telling me that he runs a triple flute compression bit at 24000 rpm with a travel speed of 25 meters/min. He said it cuts like butter. I was thinking of giving it a try, but was wondering what others thought or how many are doing this.

Forum Responses
(CNC Forum)
From contributor I:
25 meters per minutes translates to about 985 inches per minute. It might be possible depending on the tool geometry. There are tooling vendors out there that have claimed even higher possible cutting rates. When evaluating a claim of cutting speeds, one has to determine if the speed being referred to is programmed speed or actual achieved speed.

Depending on the part sizes and the acceleration/deceleration rates of the machine, the programmed speed may be rarely or never actually achieved. A couple of sheets of nested drawer box parts may cut fine, whereas a couple of pantry gables could burn your tool out.

This is the actual cutting speed achieved. I can watch the feed speed as it is cutting and it drops for a very short period at corners. The ramp up speed (acceleration) on my machine is fast, the tech who installed it actually slowed it down he said I didn't need it so fast. I have a three flute I am waiting to try and will start cutting with it over 30 m/min. It's so fast I needed to hire guys just to keep up with its output. It runs maybe 20% of the day on average.

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?

Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?

KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base

KnowledgeBase: Computerization

KnowledgeBase: Computerization: CNC Machinery and Techniques



Would you like to add information to this article? ... Click Here

If you have a question regarding a Knowledge Base article, your best chance at uncovering an answer is to search the entire Knowledge Base for related articles or to post your question at the appropriate WOODWEB Forum. Before posting your message, be sure to review our Forum Guidelines.

Questions entered in the Knowledge Base Article comment form will not generate responses! A list of WOODWEB Forums can be found at WOODWEB's Site Map.

When you post your question at the Forum, be sure to include references to the Knowledge Base article that inspired your question. The more information you provide with your question, the better your chances are of receiving responses.

Return to beginning of article.

Refer a Friend || Read This Important Information || Site Map || Privacy Policy || Site User Agreement Letters, questions or comments? E-Mail us and let us know what you think. Be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions page. Contact us to discuss advertising or to report problems with this site. To report a problem, send an e-mail to our Webmaster Copyright © 1996-2012 - WOODWEB ® Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without permission of the Editor. Review WOODWEB's Copyright Policy. The editors, writers, and staff at WOODWEB try to promote safe practices. What is safe for one woodworker under certain conditions may not be safe for others in different circumstances. Readers should undertake the use of materials and methods discussed at WOODWEB after considerate evaluation, and at their own risk. WOODWEB, Inc. 335 Bedell Road Montrose, PA 18801 Contact WOODWEB