Ran a test cut on some 6061 with a new 3/8 ball endmill and got a weird finish.

I was trying to take a 0.015 finishing pass at 150 IPM, but the surface came out looking almost wavy. My feeds and speeds were right for the tool, so I'm thinking maybe my machine's spindle bearings are starting to go. Anyone had a similar finish issue that turned out to be mechanical?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_grant521d ago

Could be a simple case of tool runout.

smith.anna22h ago

Totally agree, that's the first thing I check. Had a job last week where the finish looked awful, just a tiny bit of runout in the collet was the whole problem. Swapped it out and the next part was perfect. It's amazing how such a small wobble can ruin everything.