Conventional Cutting vs. Climb Cutting
Conventional Cutting vs. Climb Cutting
Rotation of the cutter is clockwise, feed direction is left to right
Rotation of the cutter is clockwise, feed direction is right to left.
What is the difference between Climb and Conventional cutting and which is the better method?
Climb and Conventional cutting merely describe the way in which the cutter moves around the part in respect to its direction of rotation. In regards to a right-hand rotation spindle (the most common type),moving around a finished part counter-clockwise would be considered Conventional Cutting while a clockwise part path would be Climb Cutting. The terminology will be reversed if the spindle is of left-hand rotation or a pocket or hole is being cut out of the finished part.
In most cases, conventional cutting provides the best edge provided the right tool geometry to cut a specific material has been selected. This applies mainly to man-made board products. If you are cutting solid wood where multi directional grain patterns have to be considered, it is often necessary to employ climb cutting thereby limiting the chip the tool can remove at one time and reducing splintering. In CNC routing with right hand rotation tooling, climb cutting occurs as the perimeter of the workpiece is routed in a clockwise direction. Routing the same work piece in a counter clockwise direction represents conventional cutting. The whole process is reversed when making internal cuts on the part. When work piece finish is substandard, check the scrap as a comparison. If the scrap finish is better, change the direction of the tool.
The other factors when considering Climb or Conventional Cutting is the aggressiveness of the cutter and part hold down. Climb Cutting is a much more aggressive means of cutting and can chatter or move small parts that are not fixtured well. In most cases soft chips that are difficult to extract from the cut are also more likely to weld to the climb cut side rather than the conventional cut side. The best method of approach for most new materials is to run sample parts with both methods of cutting at the same feeds and speeds and make the determination from there.
Milling cutters can cut in two directions, sometimes known as conventional or up and climb or down.
Rotation of the cutter is clockwise, feed direction is left to right
Rotation of the cutter is clockwise, feed direction is right to left.
What is the difference between Climb and Conventional cutting and which is the better method?
Climb and Conventional cutting merely describe the way in which the cutter moves around the part in respect to its direction of rotation. In regards to a right-hand rotation spindle (the most common type),moving around a finished part counter-clockwise would be considered Conventional Cutting while a clockwise part path would be Climb Cutting. The terminology will be reversed if the spindle is of left-hand rotation or a pocket or hole is being cut out of the finished part.
In most cases, conventional cutting provides the best edge provided the right tool geometry to cut a specific material has been selected. This applies mainly to man-made board products. If you are cutting solid wood where multi directional grain patterns have to be considered, it is often necessary to employ climb cutting thereby limiting the chip the tool can remove at one time and reducing splintering. In CNC routing with right hand rotation tooling, climb cutting occurs as the perimeter of the workpiece is routed in a clockwise direction. Routing the same work piece in a counter clockwise direction represents conventional cutting. The whole process is reversed when making internal cuts on the part. When work piece finish is substandard, check the scrap as a comparison. If the scrap finish is better, change the direction of the tool.
The other factors when considering Climb or Conventional Cutting is the aggressiveness of the cutter and part hold down. Climb Cutting is a much more aggressive means of cutting and can chatter or move small parts that are not fixtured well. In most cases soft chips that are difficult to extract from the cut are also more likely to weld to the climb cut side rather than the conventional cut side. The best method of approach for most new materials is to run sample parts with both methods of cutting at the same feeds and speeds and make the determination from there.
Milling cutters can cut in two directions, sometimes known as conventional or up and climb or down.
- Conventional milling: The chip thickness starts at zero thickness, and increases up to the maximum. The cut is so light at the beginning that the tool does not cut, but slides across the surface of the material, until sufficient pressure is built up and the tooth suddenly bites and begins to cut. This deforms the material (at point A on the diagram, left), work hardening it, and dulling the tool. The sliding and biting behavior leaves a poor finish on the material.
- Climb milling: Each tooth engages the material at a definite point, and the width of the cut starts at the maximum and decreases to zero. The chips are disposed behind the cutter, leading to easier swarf removal. The tooth does not rub on the material, and so tool life may be longer. However, climb milling can apply larger loads to the machine, and so is not recommended for older milling machines, or machines which are not in good condition. This type of milling is used predominantly on mills with a backlash eliminator.