Development and manufacturing of customized milling cutters for individual tool-making industry

Purpose: Purpose of this paper is to present results obtained during developing new cutting tools for individual tool industry. The aim of the research was to develop customized ball end milling tools with longer tool-life. Design/methodology/approach: to this study of development of new tools was over four successive sets of experiments, where the tool material, cutting edge preparation (cutting edge radius), rake angle and coating were selected for achieving longer tool-life. Tool-life was monitored over measuring tool wear on the flank face of the tool; maximum allowed tool wear was set to VB = 0.3 mm. Findings: of this study are showing that with right combination of the tool material, cutting edge radius, rake angle and appropriate coating, tool-life can be prolonged significant. Research (and practical) implications: implications are reflected in the substituting of all used milling tools from renowned manufacturers with these newly developed tools in this tool industry. Originality/value: of this paper is visible over significant improvement in tool-life of milling tools, especially for the company who will be using these tools in their production.