What are the Main Types of Milling Cutters According to Use?

The standard and special milling cutters generally used for normal production are explained below.

Plain Milling Cutter

The plain milling cutters are cylindrical in shape and have teeth on the circumference surface only. The cutters are intended for the production of flat surfaces parallel to the axis of rotation of the spindle. The cutter teeth may be straight or helical according to the size of the cutter. Over ¾ wide the teeth are usually cut on a helix to give shearing cut. Very wide plain milling cutters are termed as slabbing cutter. These cutters have nicked teeth. The object of nick is to break up the chips and enables the cutter to take a course feed.

Plain and Slab Milling Cutter

Side and Face Cutters

These cutters have teeth on its periphery and also on one side or both of its sides. The side milling cutters are intended for removing metals from the side of the work. Plain side milling cutters have straight circumferential teeth and side teeth on both of its sides, two or more cutters may be mounted on the arbor to mill different faces of work simultaneously.

Side and Face Cutter

Staggered Teeth Cutter

The staggered teeth side and face milling cutters have alternate teeth with opposite helix angle. The design of the cutter teeth increases the chip space to a great extent. The cutter is suitable for milling deep narrow slots or key ways on work. Two side or two staggered teeth milling cutters are joint together such that their teeth interlock to form one unit. They may be plain or of alternate helix.

Staggered Teeth Cutter

Slotting Cutter

Cutter having teeth on its periphery and side being relieved. Its diameter does not exceed 6” and thickness is above ¼. It is used for producing exact slots and grooves.

Slotting Cutter

Slitting Saw

This is thin plain milling cutter of very small width. The sides of the cutter are relieved in order that the side faces may not rub against the work. The plain metal slitting saw cutter is limited to 5 mm width. Staggered teeth metal slitting saws are limited to width 6.5 – 7 mm width.

Slitting Saw

Angular Cutters

They are made as single or double angle cutters and are used to machine angles other than 90 degree.

(i) Single Angle Milling Cutter - They have teeth on the conical or angular face of the cutter and also on the large flat side. The angle of the cutter is designated by the included angle between the conical face and the large flat face of the cutter. The cutters have different included angles of 30, 45, 60, 70, 75, 80 and 85 degrees are available with diameters of 50 mm and width of 12 mm. Second set of cutters having the same range of included angle, but the diameter of the cutter is 63 mm and width 28 mm. Third set of cutters having included angle of 78, 75 and 80 degree. All having 63 in diameters and width of 28 mm.

Single Angle Cutter

(ii) Double Angle Milling Cutter - They have V shaped teeth with both conical surfaces at angle to their end faces. The angle may not be symmetrical with respect to a plane at right angles to the cutter axis. The cutters are available in different included angles of 55, 60, 65, 70, 80, 90, and 100. The equal angle cutters are available in diameters from 56 to 100 mm having width range from 10 to 28 mm. These cutters are mainly used for cutting spiral grooves on a piece of blank. Double angle cutter with different angle and equal angle are shown in figure below.

Double Angle Milling Cutter

End Mill

The end mills have cutting teeth on the end as well as on periphery of the cutter. The peripheral teeth may be straight or helical. The end mills are used for light milling operations like cutting slots, machining accurate holes, producing narrow flat surfaces and for profile milling operations.

(i) Taper Shank End mills - Have a tapered shank on one end for mounting and driving the cutters. The cutters may be double fluted or multiple fluted. These end mills are available from 10 – 63 mm in diameter.

Taper Shank End Mills

(ii) Straight Shank End mills - Have round shanks for mounting and driving the cutters. Cutter teeth may be straight or helical. The diameter of the cutter ranges from 2 to 63 mm.

Straight Shank End Mills

Shell End Mills

Shell end mills are large and heavy end mills provided with a central hole for mounting the cutter in a short arbor. The cutting edges are provided at the end around the periphery of the cutter. The teeth may be straight or helical. Face milling operations are usually performed with these cutters. The diameter ranges from 40 to 160 mm and width from 32 to 63 mm and bore diameters of cutters range from 16 to 50 mm.

Shell End Mill

T-Slot Milling Cutter

The ‘T’ slot milling end mills for producing T-slots. The teeth are provided on the periphery as well as on both sides of the cutter.

T-Slot Milling Cutter

Woodruff Key Slot Milling Cutter

These milling cutters are small standard cutters similar in construction to a thin, small diameter plain milling cutter, intended for production of woodruff key slots. The cutter is provided with shank and may have straight or staggered teeth.

Woodruff Key Slot Cutter

Fly Cutter

The fly cutters are similar form of cutters and are mainly used in experimental shops or in tool room works. The cutter consists of a single point cutting tool attached to the end of an arbor. The cutter may be considered as an emergency tool when the standard cutters are not available.

Formed Cutter

This cutter has irregular profiles on the cutting edges in order to generate an irregular out lines of the work. They are

(i) Convex Milling Cutter - The convex milling cutters have teeth curved outwards on the circumferential surface to form the contour of a semicircle. The cutter produces a concave semicircular surface on a work piece. The diameter of the cutter ranges from 50 to 125 mm and the radius of the semicircle varies from 1.6 to 20 mm.

(ii) Concave Milling Cutter - The concave milling cutter has teeth curved upwards on the circumferential surface to form the contour of a semicircle. The concave milling cutters produce a convex semicircle surface on a work piece. The diameter ranges from 1.5 to 20 mm.

Gear Cutter

The gear cutter has formed cutting edges which produce shape of the cutter teeth on the gear blank. The shape of the cutter teeth may be involutes or cycloidal according to the gear teeth profile. A list of cutter with the number of teeth they are intended to cut is given in the table.

Gear Cutter