# Question on tiny end mills for tritium slots in titanium



## Moddoo (Aug 12, 2009)

Hello everyone,
I am getting ready to order some 1/16" and 5/64 end mills for cutting tritium slots in titanium.

I went to McMaster and selected some parts to see what they had for options.

I have a couple questions.

1. Would TiCN coating be better, or TiAlN?

2. Should I shop somewhere else for these?

3. Any tips on avoiding trouble?

The cuts will be all the way through some tail pieces. thickness will be between .050" and .120"
Material is 6Al 4V ELI Titanium

here is one of the tools I selected.
8977A152
(Same as 8977A15) 
Premium Carbide Four Flute Coated End Mill SQ End, Ticn Coated, 5/64" Mill Dia, 1-1/2" L O'all 



Thanks for any help


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## Mirage_Man (Aug 12, 2009)

I like TiAlN. Enco is probably cheaper but I'm not sure. 

Make sure you use some type of cutting oil.


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## 65535 (Aug 12, 2009)

I'd personally stick with uncoated solid carbide endmills. Use oil and go slow.


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## Mirage_Man (Aug 12, 2009)

65535 said:


> I'd personally stick with uncoated solid carbide endmills. Use oil and go slow.



Good point on the uncoated. I haven't done many trit slots, in fact only 3 to be exact. I used a HSS 2-flute ball end mill. One thing though a tiny diameter end mill in solid carbide will be very fragile so I wonder if HSS or Cobalt might be a better choice for titanium?


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## PEU (Aug 13, 2009)

When I did the run of stainless steel bezels with tritium slots I purchased 1/16" 2 flute uncoated carbide endmills:







Pablo


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## nfetterly (Aug 19, 2009)

& these bezels are SWEET - I have one with red trits within reach of me at this moment.


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## precisionworks (Aug 19, 2009)

> I like TiAlN.


+1

TiAlN in a good coating for any op that involves high temperatures, which Ti milling does. One caution is NOT to use flood on TiAlN, as flood takes away the high temps needed to make the coating work properly.

The best end mills I've found for both stainless & Ti are high helix ( 45 deg), and more flutes are better than less. Mitusubishi (and others) make 6 flute & 8 flute tools that work well, and don't cost a fortune in the smaller sizes - but 6mm is the smallest size they come in.

http://mmus.com/mmc/en/product/pdf/b/b048g_vc_6mh_8mh_20070423.pdf

Melin makes a number of tools in small diameter, high helix, designed for Ti:

http://www.endmill.com/software/Melin High Performance - 8 pg.pdf


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## Moddoo (Aug 19, 2009)

thanks for all the replies everyone.

I picked up some 1/16" diameter, 3/16" cutting length, 4 flute, carbide, TiAlN coated, square end mills.

I hope to use them tomorrow, and will report back with the results.


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## precisionworks (Aug 20, 2009)

MSC/J&L is running 40% off on all end mills, today only:

http://metalworking.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRHMW

If you phone & ask for tech support, they can help you select the best tooling for small slots in Ti.


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## precisionworks (Aug 26, 2009)

I just found out about a USA company that makes best quality tooling, with a price point well below SGS.

http://www.titanman.com/Catalog/2009/catalogindex.html

Scroll down the second page & click on Micro End Mills. Fast loading, as only one page at a time is downloaded.


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## Moddoo (Sep 16, 2009)

precisionworks said:


> I just found out about a USA company that makes best quality tooling, with a price point well below SGS.
> 
> http://www.titanman.com/Catalog/2009/catalogindex.html
> 
> Scroll down the second page & click on Micro End Mills. Fast loading, as only one page at a time is downloaded.



Thanks for the link man.
Are the NET prices any better than the prices in the PDF?

BTW, I got some cheap imported TiAlN coated 1/16 4 flute endmills off ebay because I needed them in a hurry.
They got the job done. I broke a couple during the 180 slots, and 120 holes that I cut. But, I am no expert with Ti either.

I'll try to get some nicer end mills for this next batch.


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## precisionworks (Sep 16, 2009)

> Are the NET prices any better than the prices in the PDF?


Net is about 60% off the list price :thumbsup:

I phoned Titan this morning & spoke with a tooling engineer who recommended a 4-flute AlTiN coated tool for machining Ti 6-4. He suggested running dry with high pressure air directed onto the tool. This serves a dual function of both cooling the tool & blowing away the work hardened chips, which avoids recutting the chips.

They suggested contacting Tom Johnson at Johnson Cutting Tools. For the TC58263 (.063", 4-flute, AlTiN, square end) price is $11.15 

His phone number is (248) 442-9482. 

http://johnscut.com/default.aspx


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## precisionworks (Sep 16, 2009)

FWIW, here's a video from RobbJack, who produces end mills for aerospace & medical applications ... you don't even want to know the price 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeJCzN90Aj4


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