Pockets in AL plate
 

I have to mill 32 round pockets into an AL plate. The pockets range from
2.125" dia. x .180" deep to 2.625" dia. x 1.80 deep. This plate will be a
mold for injecting Urethane into thin wire wheel brushes that are used to
clean grooves and such. This encapsulating process is done by another
company that is a trading partner and good friends. They just don't have
much machining capability. In return, I get a hot stamping machine that I
have good use for.

Very much like this:
http://atdtools.com/8245

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the pocket
then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

Pockets in AL plate
 

Tom Gardner wrote:

I have to mill 32 round pockets into an AL plate. The pockets range from
2.125" dia. x .180" deep to 2.625" dia. x 1.80 deep. This plate will be a
mold for injecting Urethane into thin wire wheel brushes that are used to
clean grooves and such. This encapsulating process is done by another
company that is a trading partner and good friends. They just don't have
much machining capability. In return, I get a hot stamping machine that I
have good use for.

Very much like this:
http://atdtools.com/8245

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the pocket
then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

If you don't have CNC capability, I think you're on the right track. I
would mark the full dia and rough it out with the large end mill (not
just the center) so that you minimize the passes with the boring head to
final dia. With a CNC the circular interpolation would to it all in one
setup with no fuss.

Pockets in AL plate
 

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...
I have to mill 32 round pockets into an AL plate. The pockets range
from 2.125" dia. x .180" deep to 2.625" dia. x 1.80 deep. This plate
will be a mold for injecting Urethane into thin wire wheel brushes
that are used to clean grooves and such. This encapsulating process
is done by another company that is a trading partner and good
friends. They just don't have much machining capability. In return,
I get a hot stamping machine that I have good use for.

Very much like this:
http://atdtools.com/8245

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the
pocket then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

If I had to make it on my manual machines, I'd subdivide the plate
into pieces I could bore out on a lathe faceplate, to get a better
surface finish than milling, and bolt them to a subplate.

I'd make some spares as replacements or to change the size mix.

jsw

Pockets in AL plate
 

On 3/15/2012 9:39 AM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
"Tom wrote in message
...
I have to mill 32 round pockets into an AL plate. The pockets range
from 2.125" dia. x .180" deep to 2.625" dia. x 1.80 deep. This plate
will be a mold for injecting Urethane into thin wire wheel brushes
that are used to clean grooves and such. This encapsulating process
is done by another company that is a trading partner and good
friends. They just don't have much machining capability. In return,
I get a hot stamping machine that I have good use for.

Very much like this:
http://atdtools.com/8245

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the
pocket then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

If I had to make it on my manual machines, I'd subdivide the plate
into pieces I could bore out on a lathe faceplate, to get a better
surface finish than milling, and bolt them to a subplate.

I'd make some spares as replacements or to change the size mix.

jsw


Interesting concept. I see the pockets are .180 deep. Wonder if the
largest pocket has an error on the depth? 1.80 deep? If they are ALL
..180 deep, then you could bore the hole completely through and then
reduce the rim to .180.

Paul

Pockets in AL plate
 

If the depths are all 0.180" then I see if 0.187" is ok, then do them as
through holes in a sheet of 3/16" plate, then bolt that to a backing plate.
Saves all the agony of a good surface finish on the bottom of each pocket.
Otherwise without cnc I think your approach is probably best.

-----
Regards,
Carl Ijames
"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...

I have to mill 32 round pockets into an AL plate. The pockets range from
2.125" dia. x .180" deep to 2.625" dia. x 1.80 deep. This plate will be a
mold for injecting Urethane into thin wire wheel brushes that are used to
clean grooves and such. This encapsulating process is done by another
company that is a trading partner and good friends. They just don't have
much machining capability. In return, I get a hot stamping machine that I
have good use for.

Very much like this:
http://atdtools.com/8245

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the pocket
then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

Pockets in AL plate
 

Tom asked:

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the
pocket then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

Use as large an end mill as will fit in the hole with sufficient roughing
clearance. Spiral-drill the holes in conventional milling (spiral drill
gives a better finish in conventional than it does in climb). Then do a
full-depth finishing pass in climb.

You can save tool life and a bit of time (by virtue of faster feed rates)
if you pre-drill the hole as large and deep as permissible.

Lloyd

Pockets in AL plate
 

"Pete C." wrote in message
. com...

If you don't have CNC capability, I think you're on the right track. I
would mark the full dia and rough it out with the large end mill (not
just the center) so that you minimize the passes with the boring head to
final dia. With a CNC the circular interpolation would to it all in one
setup with no fuss.
__________________________________________________ ____________

Yep, this is one of the few times I really crave CNC on my BP! If I could
only justify it....

Pockets in AL plate
 

"Jim Wilkins" wrote in message ...


"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...
I have to mill 32 round pockets into an AL plate. The pockets range
from 2.125" dia. x .180" deep to 2.625" dia. x 1.80 deep. This plate
will be a mold for injecting Urethane into thin wire wheel brushes
that are used to clean grooves and such. This encapsulating process
is done by another company that is a trading partner and good
friends. They just don't have much machining capability. In return,
I get a hot stamping machine that I have good use for.

Very much like this:
http://atdtools.com/8245

My first thought is to use a large end mill and do the center of the
pocket then enlarge the dia. with a boring head. Any other ideas?

If I had to make it on my manual machines, I'd subdivide the plate
into pieces I could bore out on a lathe faceplate, to get a better
surface finish than milling, and bolt them to a subplate.

I'd make some spares as replacements or to change the size mix.

jsw
__________________________________________________ _

That would be nice but the owner said no.