Types of Milling Cutter Tools and Their Uses [with Pictures]

What Are Milling Cutting Tools?

Types of Milling Cutter Tools and Their Uses [with Pictures] :- Milling cutting tools are an important component of a milling machine. The milling cutter is the cutting tool used for scraping the excess material present outside the work-piece. All the milling machines contain a cutter.

Significance of Milling Cutting Tools

The cutter in a milling machine during a typical milling operation moves perpendicular to its own axis, thus allowing it to remove excess material from the work-piece at the perimeter of the cutter. The milling machine is a very versatile machine on which multiple machining operations can be performed. The milling machine is used to machine and manufacture parts of various shapes & sizes. Milling cutters are an essential tool for performing these tasks.

Types of Milling Cutting Tools

To help make milling a versatile machining process, a variety of milling cutters are available in the market. These milling cutters are manufactured in a large range of sizes, shapes, and materials. Some milling cutters are manufactured from high-speed steel (HSS), while others are carbide tipped.

1. End Mill Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

The end mill cutter contains cutting teeth on either side; hence this cutter can be used very successfully in multiple drilling operations. The name “end mill” is a commonly used term for flat bottom cutters. The main difference between a drilling bit and an end mill cutter is that the drill bit can only cut in the axial directions, but the end mill cutter can cut in all directions. The end mill cutter contains one or more flutes and is ultimately used for various milling operations. It is manufactured from high-speed steel or hardened material. This cutter is generally available in two variants.  One of them is commonly known as centers cutting, which contains cutting edges on both sides of the cutter, and the other one is a non-center cutting edge in which the cutting edges are on only one side.

2. Roughing End Mill Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

The roughing end mill cutters are also commonly known as “Pippa” cutters. These end mill cutters provide great performance under the toughest and hardest operating conditions. As their names themselves suggest, they are used for extracting large amounts of unwanted material from the work-piece. Generally, a wavy tooth is used from such cutters. The roughing end mill cutters make very small chips which result in a rough surface finish.

3. Periphery Milling Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

When the cutting teeth on a cutter are present on the circumference or periphery of the circular disc, then these types of cutters are known as circumference mill cutters or periphery milling cutters. These milling cutters can only be used in horizontal mill machines.

4. Side Milling Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

A side mill cutter is another type of milling cutter in which the cutting teeth are present on the periphery as well as over the face or end. The side milling cutter is generally used for strand milling operations and face milling operations. They can also be used for cutting slots and make deep and narrow slots.

5. Face Milling Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

A Face mill cutter contains a large diameter cutting body with multiple mechanically fastened insertion tools. A very large amount of unwanted material is removed by the cutting stroke of the face milling cutter by making radially deep and axially narrow cuts. The diameter of the body of the face mill cutters typically depends upon the length of the work-piece and the clearance available on both sides of the work-piece.

These face mill cutters can also be used for down-milling operations. The face mill cutter is a very rigid cutting tool, and the surface finish provided by it depends upon the feed rate and the number of teeth on the tool.

6. Concave Milling Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

The concave milling cutter falls under the category of the formed cutter. The form cutters are typically designed to be able to create a specific shape on the work-piece. This milling cutter is especially fabricated as a type of cutter which is designed to counterpart the convex surface of a circular contour. This circular contour is normally equal to half a circle or less.

7. Woodruff Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

Woodruff cutting is commonly used to cut keyways for a wooden key. The woodruff cutting tool is slightly hollow at the edges, and its teeth are not for side cuttings. Its teeth come in both straight as well as staggered variants.

8. Thread Mill Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

The thread mill cutter is used to produce a helical projectile. The cutting process using a thread mill cutter enables the productions of threads with a multi-profile from M2 to a single profile nominal diameter of 1 mm.

9. Ball Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

The ball cutter is also commonly known as the ball-nosed cutter. These cutters get their name due to their cutting end being hemispherical in shape. This cutter is typically used to reduce the concentration of stress during operation. It is also used for machining out three-dimensional shapes.

10. Fly Cutter: ( Types of Milling Cutter )

The fly cutter is a type of cutting tool which transits and rotates with the argon of a lathe and acts upon the work-piece fed into its circular path. A fly cutter is made up of a body in which one or two tool bits are inserted. The tool bits make shallower and wider cuts as the tool bit rotate. Face mill cutters are more suitable in various cases, but they are expensive, while these fly cutters are very inexpensive.