TED 361 (MACHINE OPERATION I)

Chatter in Metal Cutting

In machining, chatter is the vibration that feeds on itself as the tool moves across the workpiece.
The tool, tool holder and spindle together will vibrate at some natural frequency. The assembly is
likely to vibrate at more than one natural frequency at the same time causing unpleasant noise.
At the tool tip, this vibration leaves waves in the machined surface. Chatter is caused by:
1. Loose machine-tool-workpiece system
2. Running a machine at unsafe speed
3. Misalignment of machine components
4. Improper setting of tool or workpiece
5. Use of a blunt tool or a wrong tool
Effects of Chatter
1. Poor surface quality of workpiece
2. Unacceptable inaccuracy of workpiece
3. Excessive noise
4. Disproportionate tool wear
5. Machine tool damage
6. Reduced material removal rate
7. Increased cost in terms of production time
8. Waste of energy

Machine Tools
Introduction: A machine which performs material removal operation with cutting tools to
produce desired shape, size and surface finish on a work piece is known as a machine tool. The
purpose of machine tools is to save time, cost of production and to get better output which cannot

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be obtained with hand tools. The various types of machine tools commonly used in workshops
are Power Hacksaws, Drilling Machines, Lathes, Shapers, Planners, Milling machines, Grinding
Machines, Broaching Machines, Slotting Machines, etc.

Power Hacksaws
Power saws are used for cutting a wide range of shapes of material stock. Two types of power
saws are power hack saw and band saw.
Power hack saws are usually of simple construction whose cutting action is brought about by the
reciprocating motion of the saw blades. It consists essentially of a drive unit, crank mechanism,
slide, feed weight, a clamping unit and a frame which carries the above units.
An electric motor is the source of power, mounted at the bottom of one side of the frame. The
crank is a disk which the link is attached. The crank is driven by the electric motor through
pinion and wheel drive. The work piece is clamped in a machine vice with opposed-travel jaws.
The stroke of the slide is adjusted by adjusting the crank pin on the crank slot. The body of
power hack saw is of cast construction with the major components made from castings.
The capacity of power hack saws is given the maximum size of work that can be sawn. It should
be noted that when sawing, it is faster to cut through a smaller thickness than through a larger
one. For example, it is faster to cut the 25mm thickness on a solid bar of 25x50mm, than through
the 50mm thickness.
Power Hacksaw Blades
The tooth profile of hand hack saw blades are similar to those of hand hacksaws except that the
former are bigger and sturdier. Blade materials are usually carbon tool steels and high speed
steels. Carbon steel blades are cheaper but have low life due to frequent breakage and high tooth
wear. Power saw blades come in different sizes and pitches. Some particular sizes are designated
as LxWxtxn. For example 350x25x1.25x14 teeth and 400x32x1.6x10 teeth where L,W and t are
the length, width and thickness of the blade in mm and n is the number of teeth per inch (25mm)
of blade.
NOTE: When clamping and unclamping work; ensure that the blade frame or housing is well
supported above the work so as not to have an accidental fall of the frame.
Cutting Procedure
1. Mark the portion you desire to cut on the workpiece.
2. Select the stroke on the machine based on the width of the workpiece. Stroke is the
distance the frame moves in its forward movement.
3. Mount the workpiece on the vice and ensure that the blade align with the mark you made
on the workpiece
4. Support the extended length of the workpiece to avoid deflection.
5. Lower the saw carefully to start the cutting. Apply coolant as cutting progresses in order
to prolong the life of the blade.
6. Stop the machine as soon as the required piece of material is cut off.
7. Raise the blade arm off the table of the machine and secure the frame firmly.

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 8. Loose the work piece and remove it from the machine.

Drilling/Drilling Machine
A metal cutting operation that produces cylindrical holes or enlarges existing holes with an end
cutting tool is called drilling. Drilling machine is a machine tool used for drilling operation. The
end cutting tool used for drilling holes in a workpiece is called drill bit.
The drilling machine is defined as a machine which is used to make a circular hole, a tool used to
drill the holes of different size and other related operations using a drill bit.

Working Principle of a Drilling Machine

The drill bit is fixed in a rotating spindle and is fed towards the workpiece which is mounted on
the machine table or vice. The speed of the spindle and the feed can be adjusted according to the
strength of the workpiece and the size of the drill bit. In order to cut off chips, two motions are
given to the drill simultaneously i.e. rotary motion and linear motion.
1. The rotary motion: Is called the cutting motion. It is the motion imparted to the drill bit
through the spindle. It is measured in revolutions per minute (r.p.m). The highest cutting
speed is on the periphery of the drill and it decreases towards the centre of the drill.
2. Linear motion: The linear motion of the drill is called feed and it controls the thickness
of chip formed. Feed is generally measured in mm/rev. As the drill bit is provided with
two cutting edges, the thickness of the chip is half the feed. By the simultaneous double
action of cutting and feed motion, each cutting edge of the drill describes a spiral and
thereby produces a constant flow of chips.
Drilling Procedure
1. The workpiece is marked with centre punch at the centre of the hole to be drilled.
2. It is then held in a vice and placed on the adjustable table of the drilling machine.
3. The drill is fitted in the chuck
4. The spindle with the chuck is lowered by the hand lever and it is ensured that the point of
the drill is in exact alignment with the previously marked centre of the hole.
5. The machine is started and the rotating drill is gradually pressed into the work piece to
produce the desired hole.
Notes: 1. The pressure should be frequently relieved while drilling, otherwise the cutting edges
of the drill will be strained and the drill damaged.
2. In order to avoid damaging the cutting edges of the drill, a coolant should be applied
intermittently.
Types of Drilling Machine
1. Portable drilling machine e.g. hand brace, ratchet brace, electric hand drill.

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2. Sensitive/pillar/column drilling machine
3. Radical arm drilling machine.

Figure 8: Pillar Drilling Machine

Figure 9: Radial Arm Drilling

Machine

Parts
1 Base
2 Column
3 Electric motor
4 Radial arm

5 Spindle head

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Drilling Tools
1. Flat drill: It is a simple type of drill with two cutting edges beveled at 60 0. It is easily
made by flattening a round bar of tool steel at one end by forging. It is then ground,
hardened and tempered. The flat drill cannot be used to drill deep holes because the chips
do not come out of the hole during the operation. The cutting edges of the drill wear
quickly due to the chips remaining in the hole and by grinding every time, the tool life
reduces.
2. Straight fluted drill: The straight fluted drill is used for making holes in brass, copper
and the chips pack in the flutes.
3. Twist drill: It is the most commonly used variety of drill and is made with two, three or
four cutting lips. The two lip drill is used to drill holes into solid metal while the three
and four lip drill is used for enraging holes drilled previously. The flutes of a twist drill
are always made with a right hand helix. This forces the chips up the flutes and away
from the cutting edges. The shank of a twist drill may be parallel on small sized drills (up
to 12.5mm). The tapered shank drills have a taper called the morse taper. The size of
taper on any particular drill depends on the drill diameter.

Figure 10: Drilling Tools

4. Drill sleeve: It is a drilling tool used to secure tapered shank twist drill whose morse
taper is smaller than that of the machine spindle. Drill sleeves are specified as 2-3 sleeve,
3-4 sleeve etc.
5. Drift: Drills are taken out from the machine spindle or sleeve using drift.
Operations on Drilling Machine
1. Drilling: It is an operation of producing a circular hole in a workpiece by forcing a drill
against it.

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 2. Boring: It is an operation of enlarging an existing hole by a single point cutting tool so as
to make it through to required size.
3. Reaming: It is an operation of slightly enlarging a drilled hole to proper size with a
smooth finish. The accurate tool for this purpose is called reamer. It has four cutting lips
and can remove a maximum of 0.2mm of material.
4. Tapping: It is an operation of producing internal threads in a hole by means of a tool
called tap.
5. Counter boring: It is an operation of enlarging the mouth of a drilled hole to set bolt
head so that they may not project out of surface level. It is done by a counter boring tool
which is similar to an end mill or a single blade ground to give two cutting edges and is
guided by a pilot pin which fits into the drilled hole.
6. Counter sinking: It is an operation of beveling the top of a drilled hole for making a
conical seat for a flat head screw. Ordinary flat drill ground to correct angle is used for
countersinking holes.
7. Spot facing: It is an operation to finish-off a small portion of rough surface around the
mouth of a drilled hole in order to provide smooth seat for bolt head. Spot facing tool is a
single blade ground to give two cutting edges and is guided by a stem which runs in a
pilot hole.
Cutting Speed and Feed
The cutting speed in drilling is the peripheral speed of the drill relative to the work.
Mathematically:
πDN
Cutting speed V =
1000

It is measured in metres per minute (m/min).

Where D is the diameter of the drill bit in mm
N = spindle speed or work speed in r. p. m
The cutting speed depends on the strength of the material being cut, the tool material, capacity of
machine, quality of surface required and the coolant used.
Feed: Feed of a drill is the distance it moves into the work in each revolution of the spindle. It is
measured in millimetres per revolution (mm/rev).
Machining Time for Drilling Machine

It is the time during which the cutting edge of the drill cuts the chips off. It is measured in minutes.
Mathematically,

L+0.3 d
Machining time, tm =
Feed x N
Where L is the depth of the hole to be drilled in mm

d is the diameter of the drill bit in mm

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 N is the spindle speed

Example: How long will it take to drill a hole of 10mm diameter on a mild steel plate of 50mm thickness
when the cutting speed of drill is 30mm/min and feed is 0.15mm/rev?

The Centre Lathe

The lathe is one of the most important machines in any machineshop. Its main objective is to
remove material from outside by rotating the work against a cutting tool. In a lathe, the work
piece is held in a chuck or between centres and rotated about its axis at a uniform speed. The
cutting tool held in the tool post is fed into the workpiece for a desired depth and in the desired
direction (i.e. linear or transverse). Since there exists a relative motion between the workpiece
and the cutting tool, therefore the material is removed in the form of chips and the desired shape
is obtained.
Principal Parts of a Lathe
1. Bed: The bed is the base or foundation of the lathe. It is a heavy, rigid casting made in one
piece. It holds or supports all other parts of the lathe. The top of the bed is planned to form
guide ways for the carriage and the tail stock.
2. Head stock: The headstock is permanently fastened on the inner ways at the left hand end of
the bed. It serves to support the spindle and driving arrangements. All lathes receive their
power through the headstock which may be equipped with a stepped or cone pulley or a
geared head drive. The headstock spindle is made hollow in order to allow a long workpiece
or work holding devices to pass through. The front end of the hole is tapered for holding
centres and other tools having a standard morse tapered shank.
3. Tail stock: The tailstock is the counterpart of the head stock and is situated at the right hand
end of the bed. It is used for supporting the work when turning on centres or when a long
workpiece is to be held in a chuck. It is also used for holding and feeding the tools such as
drills, reamers, taps etc.
4. Carriage: The carriage controls and supports the cutting tool. Since the carriage moves on
the ways of the bed, its motion is parallel to the rotational axis of the headstock spindle. The
carriage is made up of:
a. Saddle: It is an H-shaped casting that fits over the bed and slides along the way between
the headstock and tailstock.
b. Cross slide: It is mounted on the saddle. It supports the compound rest. The transverse
movement of the cross-slide is obtained by turning the cross-slide hand wheel.
c. Compound rest: It is mounted on top of the cross slide. It can be swiveled to any desired
angle in a horizontal plane and its base is graduated in degrees to indicate its angular
setting.
d. Tool post: It is mounted on top of the compound rest. It serves to rigidly clamp the
cutting tool or tool holder in a desired position.
e. Apron: It is fastened to the saddle and hangs over the front of the bed. It contains gears,
clutches and levers for operating the carriage by hand and by power feeds. The apron
hand wheel can be turned to move the carriage longitudinally back and forth by hand.

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 Figure 11: The Centre Lathe

Size and Specification of a Lathe

The size of a lathe is determined by:
1. The height of the centres above the top of the bed.
2. The swing or the maximum diameter of a work piece that can be rotated over the ways of
the bed. This is equal to twice the height of the centres.
3. The maximum length of the work that can be accommodated between the lathe centres.
4. The maximum diameter of the work that can be rotated over the lathe saddle.
5. The maximum diameter of the work that can be accommodated in the gap for a gap bed
lathe.

Lathe Machine Accessories

The lathe accessories are used for holding and supporting the work or for holding the cutting
tool. The various lathe accessories are discussed as follows:

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 1. Centres: There are two types of centres i.e. live centre and dead centre. A centre which
fits into the headstock spindle and revolves with the work is called live centre while the
centre which is used in a tail stock spindle and does not revolve is called dead centre.
2. Chucks: It is an important device used for holding and rotating the workpiece in a lathe.
The workpieces which are too short to be held between centres are clamped in a chuck. It
is attached to the lathe spindle by means of two bolts with the back plate screwed on to
the spindle nose. Two types of chuck commonly used are:
a. Three jaw universal chucks: It is also called self-centering chuck or scroll chuck.
This type of chuck is used for holding round and hexagonal work.
b. Four jaw independent chucks: It has four reversible jaws, each of which may be
independently adjusted to accommodate the work it supports. This type of chuck can
hold square, round and irregular shape of work in either concentric or eccentric
position.
3. Lathe dog: A work piece placed on a mandrel or held between centres is rotated
positively by clamping the dog to the end of the work. This is engaged with a pin
attached to the drive plate or face plate. The lathe dog may be of straight type or bent
type.
4. Drive plate: Is a circular plate which is bored out and threaded so that it can be attached
to the spindle nose. It also carries a hole for the pin which is used only when the work is
held in a lathe dog having straight tail. When the bent-tail dog is used, this pin is taken
out and the bent portion of the tail is inserted into the hole.
5. Face plate: This is similar to drive plate except that it is larger in diameter. It contains
more open slots or T-slots so that bolts may be used to clamp the work piece to the face
of the plate. The face plate is used for holding work pieces which cannot be conveniently
hold in a chuck.
6. Mandrel: The lathe mandrel is a cylindrical bar with centre hole at each end. It is used to
hold hollow work pieces to machine their external surfaces. The work revolves with the
mandrel which is mounted between the centres of the lathe.
7. Rests: When long and slender work pieces are to be turned between the lathe centres, it
must be supported at some intermediate points in order to prevent springing or bending of
the work piece. This auxiliary support is known as rest. Two types of rests are:
a. Fixed steady: Though its main function is to provide a support for long-thin work pieces
that is turned between centres, yet it can be used for supporting one end of a long work
piece doe facing, drilling and boring operations.
b. Travelling steady: Is used to support the work which is close to the cutting tool. It is
bolted to the cross-slide on the saddle and travels with the tool as it feeds along the work.

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Figure 12: Steady or Rests

Lathe Tools
The tools used in a lathe for general purpose work is a single point tool. For special operations,
multi-point tools may be used. The material used for lathe tools should have hardness, toughness,
heat resistant and low wear. The commonly used materials are: High carbon steel, high speed
steel, cemented carbides and diamond tips.
The lathe tools, depending upon the nature of operation done by the tool, are classified as
follows:
1. Turning tool (left hand or right hand)
2. Facing tool
3. Chamfering tool
4. Form or profile tool
5. Parting or necking tool
6. External threading tool
7. Internal threading tool
8. Boning tool and
9. Knurling tool.

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 Figure 13: Lathe Tools

Lathe Operations
1. Facing: This is the operation of machining a flat surface on a work piece. In this
operation, the work piece is held in the chuck and the facing tool is fed from the centre of
the work piece towards the outer surface or from the outer surface to the centre with the
help of the cross-slide.
2. Plain turning: It is an operation of removing excess amount of material from the surface
of a cylindrical work piece. In this operation, the work is held either in the chuck or
between centres and the longitudinal feed is given to the tool either by hand or power.
3. Step turning: It is an operation of producing various steps of different diameters on the
work piece. This operation is carried out in similar way as plain turning.
4. Taper turning: It is an operation of producing an external conical surface on a work
piece. A small taper may be produced with the help of a form tool or chamfering tool or
by manipulating the cross-slide and compound slide simultaneously. Larger tapers are
produced by swiveling the compound slide at the required angle or by offsetting the tail
stock or by using taper turning attachment.

5. Drilling: It is an operation
of making a hole in a
work piece with the help

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 of a drill. In this operation, the work piece is held in a chuck and the drill is held in the
tail stock. The drill is fed manually into the rotating work piece by rotating the tail stock
hand wheel.
6. Boring: It is an operation of enlarging a hole already made in a work piece. In this
operation, a boring tool or a bit mounted on a rigid bar is held in the tool post and fed into
the work by hand or power in similar way as for turning.
7. Undercutting or grooving: It is an operation of reducing the diameter of a work piece
over a very narrow surface. In this operation, a tool of appropriate shape is fed into the
revolving work up to the desired depth at right angles to the centre line of the work piece.
8. Knurling: It is an operation of providing knurled surface on the work piece. In this
operation, a knurled tool is moved longitudinally to a revolving work piece surface. The
projections on the knurled tool reproduce depressions on the work surface.
9. Threading: It is an operation of cutting continuous helical grooves on the external
cylindrical surface of a work piece. In this operation, the work piece is held in a chuck
and the threading tool is fed longitudinally to the revolving work. The longitudinal feed is
equal to the pitch of the thread to be cut.
Terms Used in Lathe Machining
1. Cutting speed: It is defined as the speed at which the metal is removed by the tool from the
work piece. In order words, it is the peripheral speed of the work past the cutting tool. It is
usually expressed in millimetres per minute (mm/min).
2. Feed: It is defined as the distance which the tool advances for each revolution of the work.
It is usually expressed in millimetres per revolution (mm/rev).
3. Depth of cut: It is defined as the depth of penetration of the tool into the work piece during
machining. In order words, it is the perpendicular distance measured from the machined
surface to the unmachined surface of the work piece. It is usually expressed in millimetres.

Milling Operation
Milling is a machining process in which the cutter (cutting tool) is revolved and the workpiece is
fed past it. The cutter is multi-toothed which is held on a spindle or arbor. The excess material
from the work piece is removed in the form of chips by each tooth of the cutter due to which the
process becomes very quick and accurate. The work may be fed against the cutter in any one of
the three mutually perpendicular directions.
A large number of different operations such as straight milling of flat surfaces, gear cutting,
thread cutting, drilling, boring and slotting operations can be carried out on a milling machine.
Working Principle
The workpiece is rigidly mounted on the machine table or vice and the cutter on the spindle or
arbor. The work is fed slowly past the cutter while the cutter revolves at fairly high speed. A
particular tooth does not remain in constant touch with the work rather it has cutting time. Thus
the adverse effect of heat developed during cutting is minimized as the tool gets enough time to
cool off.

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Methods of milling
The following two methods are commonly used in milling
i. Conventional or up milling
ii. Climb or down milling.
Conventional or up milling: In this method the work piece is fed in a direction opposite to the
rotation of the milling cutter.
Climb or down milling: In this method the work piece is fed in the direction of the rotation of
the cutter.

It is observed that the chips produced are not uniform in cross-section. In up milling each tooth
starts with a minimum thickness and ends with the maximum thickness of the chip. In down
milling, the reverse happens.

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Up Milling versus Down Milling
In up milling
ii. There is gradual increase in the load on the tooth because the chip thickness increases
gradually. Due to this, there is less chance of tooth breakage.
iii. The tooth begins the cut from under the underneath. The operation from under the
skin is extra advantage.
iv. The cutting force in up milling is generally directed upward; as a result the cutter
tends to lift the work piece from the table or fixture. Also the work table is lifted
resulting to increase in clearance between the table and bed ways. This becomes quite
prevalent if heavy cut is given, causing vibrations and as a result the surface finish of
the work is deteriorated.
v. The cutting edge of the milling cutter is not very sharp rather it is rounded slightly
due to which the actual cut does not start right from the point X but from Y. in fact
the tool slides over the surface of the work from X to Y. there is heavy frictional force
over this distance since the work surface is work-hardened by the action of the
proceeding tooth, consequently there is intense flank wear on the tooth.
vi. The chip may be carried over to the machined surface by the teeth since the chips
accumulate ahead of the cutting zone, and spoil the surface.
In down milling:
i. The cutting tooth of the cutter is subjected to maximum load from the beginning of
the cut because the chip thickness is maximum at the start itself. If the work piece has
scale or hard foundry skin, the cutter life s substantially reduced as the teeth must cut
through the hard abrasive work layers. That is why for milling work pieces with hard,
sandy or abrasive layer, up milling is preferred.
ii. The cutting forces are directed downwards so that the work piece along with the
fixture is pushed on the table and the table on the bed or saddle ways. This eliminates
excess clearance in jointing surfaces and the resulting vibration.
iii. The machined surface is better than obtained by conventional milling (up milling).
iv. The chances of spoilage of the milled surface due to chips are mil because the chips
are deposited behind the cutter and go out of the way.
v. Less power is required in climb milling because less power is consumed in the feed
motion (since the horizontal component of the force remains in the direction of the
feed motion).
vi. The specific machining force on the milling cutter is considerably low.
vii. The machining and feeding operations are more even.
viii. The cooling effect is more efficient.
NOTE: The above advantages of down milling are possible to derive only if:
- The workpiece has no hard skin
- The milling machine is in good condition
- There is no excessive backlash in the table screw and nut.

The Milling Machine

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 A milling machine can perform a large variety of operations which no single machine tool
can perform. It has almost acquired an indispensable position in modern workshops. While
working or shape generating, the multi-toothed cutting tool is continuously rotated against
the workpiece. The feed motion is usually transmitted to the workpiece and only rarely to the
cutting tool. Milling machines are employed for machining:
- Flat surfaces at any angle
- Contoured surfaces (die impressions, punches, cams) with straight and spiral element.
- Surface of revolutions
- External and internal threads
- Helical surfaces of various cross-sections
- Splines and key way on shafts
- All kinds of grooves: formed, spiral, straight, etc.
- Concave and convex-surfaces.
- Facing operation etc.

Classifications of milling machines

Milling machines according to their applications can be classified into the following categories:
i. Single purpose
ii. Special purpose and
iii. General purpose milling machines.
Single purpose milling machine are designed for machining components or work pieces of
single type, i.e. the work pieces may change in size and dimension but they require same
machining operations. They are used for large lot production.
Special purpose milling machine are used for performing one or several definite operations on
same or particular work pieces. That is, it is used for special jobs and special operations. Since it
is to carry out a particular operation, no frequent change of tools, and set-up is essential, thus
these are used in mass and large batch production.
General purpose milling machines are extremely versatile and employed for machining a wide
variety of parts and a range of operations. These are used for piece and small lot production.
The general purpose milling machines include:
1. Column and knee type, which may be: (a) Horizontal milling machine (b) vertical milling
machine (c) universal milling machine
2. Bed type milling machine which may be: (a) plane or simplex milling machine (having
single horizontal spindle) (b) duplex milling machine (with two horizontal spindles) (c)
triplex milling machine (with two horizontal and one vertical spindle).
3. Planner-type milling machine.
Column and knee type milling machine
The name column and knee type is because of the appearance of the machine. The side view of
the machine appears a column like frame. The table is supported on a frame looking like knee,

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which can slide in a vertical plane along the column. The column is hollow and houses the gear
train and motor, the motor may even be located outside the column. If it is inside the column, it
ensures better safety and saves space. The milling cutter is mounted on the spindle which gets
motion through the gear train, the work is supported and clamped to the table. Special feature of
this type of milling machine is the availability of three different directions of motions of the
table.

Horizontal Milling Machine

Principal Parts
Base: The base is made of cast iron. It acts as the foundation of the whole machine. It must be
strong enough to keep the machine in proper position while machining. That is, it must give the
machine enough rigidity. The base should be able to absorb vibration if generated during
machining. This is the most important factor considered for selecting base material.
Column: The column is often cast integral with the base. It must be at right angle to the base
otherwise the entire machine will be inclined at a certain angle. The column is the main

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supporting frame. The face of the column is machined on which guide ways are cut for the knee
to move up and down. The upper part of the column is machined on which a turret is placed
which carries the over arm.
Over-arm: The over-arm can be round or ram type. It is mounted at the top of the column and is
adjustable to accommodate different sizes of work piece and also to provide enough support or
rigidity to the arbor. It can be moved towards or away from the column by hand. Its main
function is to provide support for arbor.
The knee: It supports the saddle and the table. It can be moved up or down on the face of the
column. Thus jobs of different height could be adjusted between the table and the cutter. The
knee could be moved with the help of the wheel, power feed, or elevating jack. To give the table
cross-feed, guide ways are machined over the top face of the knee. Its rigidity and accuracy of
guide ways on its face are very important for accuracy of the dimensions of machined parts.
Saddle: The saddle supports the table. It can be adjusted crosswise along the ways provided over
the top of the knee. It also carries horizontal ways to give the table longitudinal feed. The saddle
is graduated to give it exact feed by hand or power.
Table: The table supports the work piece directly or in a fixture. The work could be even held in
a dividing head. Since the work is held over the table so the surface of the table must be smooth
and accurately machined. The table carries tee (T) slots in which are placed clamping bolts to
secure the work or fixtures. Longitudinal feed to it is provided by hand wheel, cross feed by
moving the saddle, and vertical feed by raising the knee.
Arbor: It is a shaft for holding and rotating arbor-type cutters. It rotates first and since the cutter
is mounted on it, the cutter also rotates. It is fitted into the spindle nose and keyed, thus
supported by the over arm spindle and brace. Its size, dimensional accuracy and rigidity are very
important for accuracy of the job.

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 Vertical
Milling
Machine
with Fixed
Head

Milling Cutters
Milling cutters are made of large variety of shapes and sizes. These are used for machining both
regular and irregular shaped surfaces on a work piece. Milling cutters can be classified according
to various characteristics:
1. (a) The cutter teeth may be straight (i.e. parallel to the axis of rotation) (b) The cutter
teeth may be set at an angle to the axis of rotation, known as helix angle.

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 2. The helix angle may be right hand or left hand and the cutter may be rotated accordingly.
3. (a) The cutter may be teeth and body integral i.e. made of single piece of steel. (b). the
teeth may be welded to the shank (as in carbide tools, the tips are brazed to the steel
shank). (c). the cutter may have removable teeth inserted in a solid body, held and rigidly
locked in slots or suitable holes in the body.
4. (a) Cutter may be made with centre hole for mounting on an arbor. (b). integral with or
mounted on a shank for insertion in the end of the milling machine spindle. (c). with the
back recessed for bolting directly on the spindle nose.
Geometry of Milling Cutters
A milling cutter has to be provided with adequate rake angle, clearance angle, tooth angle and
gullet.
Top rake: The top rake angle is designed to suit the material to be cut. A high top rake angle
makes the too weaker whereas very low value may make it less efficient for softer materials such
as aluminum. For high speed steel, plain milling cutters to be used for milling low carbon steel
work, 100 of rake angle is sufficient. But for machining suffer materials such as aluminum, it
should be as high as 250.
Clearance angle: As clearance angle is required in lathe tools, similarly milling cutters must be
provided optimum value of clearance. Too much clearance would weaken the cutter and too little
clearance would make cutting inefficient as the face would rub with the machined surface.
Tooth angle: Very high tooth angle makes the tooth robust no doubt, but the cutting becomes
inefficient since the rake angle and clearance angle become small. Low tooth angle makes the
tooth weaker.
Gullet: The gullet accommodates the chips. It must have sufficient space to contain all the chips
otherwise there would be reaction from the forced packed chips into the gullet. The cutting
action would not be free and smooth; rather it would be similar to that found when using a
clogged or loaded file. For smaller gullet, the depth of cut should be smaller for efficient
machining.
To serve specific purposes, the following varieties of cutters are manufactured:
i. Plain/helical milling cutter
ii. Side milling cutter
a. Plain side milling cutter
b. Half side milling cutter
c. Staggered teeth side milling cutter
d. Interlocking side milling cutter
iii. Face milling cutter
iv. End milling cutter
v. Side and face milling cutter
vi. Angular milling cutter
a. Single angle milling cutter
b. Double angle milling cutter
vii. Form cutter

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a. Concave and convex cutter
b. Involutes cutter
c. Corner rounding cutter
d. Gear cutter
e. Thread milling cutter
f. Grooving cutter
g. Slitting saw
h. Special milling cutter

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