Modular milling cutter with inner-cooling network

Abstract

The big sized milling cutters are expensive tools and are not appropriate for small batches production. Making these tools more versatile, able to fit to different kinds of processes and shapes of the parts to be machined is a must. As well, cooling the cutting area is very important. The existing end-mill cutters are designed to feed internally with coolant only the teeth on the front side. The paper presents a concept of a modular tool, made of elementary disk cutters, able to be reconfigured to get different shapes and sizes. The main element of novelty the paper claims is the inner cooling system of the complex tool. The special design of the elementary milling cutters and of the shaft they are mounted on make the tool able to lead jets of coolant to every insert, no matter where they are placed, on the cylindrical or on the front side of the milling cutter. A network of channels drilled in the shaft and in the body of elementary milling cutters make this possible. The capability to splash with coolant under high pressure all the cutting edges do not depend on the number of teeth of the tool. Being delivered from inside the cutting tool, the coolant splashes directly on the contact surface between the inserts and workpiece, which makes cooling more efficient.