Thread Milling

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GlennW
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Thread Milling

Post by GlennW »

I always wanted to give it a try.

I had a job that needed external 1/8" NTP threads on stainless.

I have a really nice taper attachment for my lathe that I have never installed, so I tried cutting the pipe threads using a Geometric Die Head and it worked, but the results were not as nice as I had hoped.

Soon after, I bought a thread milling cutter for 27 tpi pipe threads and never got around to tinkering with that either...

Today I figured I would give it a try, and after figuring out all of the specs that I needed using an Optical Comparator since I had no info on the cutter, and trying to remember how to run my CNC mill, the first attempt was actually successful. :shock:
DSC01189.JPG
DSC01188.jpg
The L1 gauge actually likes it!
DSC01190.jpg
This was on aluminum bar, but it's a pretty good start, so next I'll try the stainless and see how it works out.

I may shorten it up one thread and reduce the diameter accordingly, but for now, it's not a problem.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
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Harold_V
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by Harold_V »

Nice, Glenn!
I've always been curious about thread milling, but have not had a reason to pursue the process.
The thread mill looks a lot like a tap. Do you see any significant differences between the two?

H
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GlennW
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by GlennW »

For one, there is no helix to it, as I ran it at 3700 rpm and 20 ipm feed and it just ran a spiral pattern down the stock equal to the thread pitch per helical orbit as if it was a single V cutter.

It's also Carbide.

I programmed 11 orbits since I plan on using it for stainless. If I was only cutting aluminum I would drop it down to two threads from full depth and only make two orbits using the length of the cutter to cut all of the threads.

Not sure any of that makes sense, but I understood it!
Glenn

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Bill Shields
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by Bill Shields »

thread mills are not like taps...and cannot be used as such.

for small IDs they are quite the way to go..or in as in this case one mill can make any OD you want as long as the pitch is correct (assuming it is a multi-tooth mill).

Single tooth mills can make literally any pitch thread - as long as there is enough back clearance to handle the helix.

You should see one of these things making 2 mm ID threads in titanium...
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
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Harold_V
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by Harold_V »

Thanks, guys. I'm woefully lacking in CNC operations, but eager to learn.

H
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Bill Shields
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by Bill Shields »

getting the thread mill in / out is a challenge, especially with an ID thread.

If using a single point tool, typically you helical mill down to depth, the make at least one full 360 degree arc move, then move radially until the tool is clear and pull it out of the hole.

The same can be applied to an OD thread if the design allows.

if using a multi tip tool (as shown here), you have to always move helically while cutting stock...then move away from the part
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AndrewMawson
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by AndrewMawson »

The late (and sadly missed) John Stevenson once showed a way of mounting an individual cutter from a die head on a slotted arbor and using it to thread mill external threads.
Andrew Mawson
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ctwo
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by ctwo »

Single point threading on the mill sounds interesting. I might see what mess I can produce, with nothing more than a bit of creativity and lots of time. Maybe by January...
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Geezer
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by Geezer »

Climb Mill,
Start OD thread at top
ID thread at bottom


Single Point.jpg
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ctwo
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by ctwo »

That's awesome! Thanks! I typed that out and put into my mill program and it looks like one thread - enter and exit from the bottom up. I did have a problem with the G41 line and will look into that, I had to comment it out. Also, it looks like an inside thread, which was more interesting to me.

(I'm using Mach3 and found: Compensation has been changed in mill. In mill you need to have a lead in and lead out > 1/2 tool diameter before and after g41 & g42)

And here is text:

%
O1000
(X0Y0 is at center of hole)
(Z0 is at the top of the part)
T1 M06
G00 G90 G54 X0
T1 M06
G00 G90 G54 X0 Y0 S2500 M03
G43 H01 Z.1 M08
G01 Z-1.083 F35
(G41 X0.275DI)
G3 X0.875 I0.3 F15
G91 G3 I-0.875 Z0.0833 L14
G90 G3 X0.275 I-0.300
G00 G90 Z1.0 M09
G1 G40 X0 Y0
G28 G91 Y0 Z0
M30
%
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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Bill Shields
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by Bill Shields »

DI or D1?????

Cutter compensation can be either for wear or full radius offset.

If doing wear, then the lead-in / out can be quite a small number because it only handles the difference between the programmed and actual tool.
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ctwo
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Re: Thread Milling

Post by ctwo »

Ha, yes, D1 seems to solve one error message. Maybe I don't understand it well enough, of course. Mach does not seem to repeat the arc in the program, but I recall the machine does.

%
O1000
(X0Y0 is at center of hole)
(Z0 is at the top of the part)
T1 M06
G00 G90 G54 X0 Y0 S2500 M03
G43 H01 Z0.1 M08
G01 Z-1.083 F100
G41 Y0.251 D1 F15
G1 X0.275 Y0
G3 X0.875 I0.3
G91 G3 I-0.875 Z0.0833 L14
G90 G3 X0.275 I-0.3
G00 G90 Z1.0 M09
G1 G40 X0 Y0
G28 G91 Y0 Z0
M30
%
Attachments
mach3-g41-tool-offset.PNG
mach3-g41-tool-offset.PNG (6.21 KiB) Viewed 22060 times
Standards are so important that everyone must have their own...
To measure is to know - Lord Kelvin
Disclaimer: I'm just a guy with a few machines...
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