Let QT TOOLS teach you how to distinguish between left-handed and right-handed milling cutters

Milling cutters are the most important tools for CNC machines, and like we QT TOOLS use many types of milling cutters in our daily work, and end mills are the most common ones. We can divide end mills into two major categories: left-handed milling cutters and right-handed milling cutters. Next, QT TOOLS  will introduce the difference between left-handed and right-handed milling cutters with you.

To judge whether the milling cutter is left-handed or right-handed, we can use the following method. Place the milling cutter blade vertically upward, and if the direction of the blade groove rises from left to right, it is a right-handed milling cutter. We can clench our fists and stretch out our thumbs, and the direction of the blade groove rising is the same as the right thumb. It is right-handed, otherwise it is left-handed, which means that if the blade groove rises from the lower right to the upper left, it is left-handed.

We can see the effect of the screw and the nut, when the screw rotates, if it is forced not to let it "screw in", the "in" will be the nut. In contrast to milling cutters, it is the metal chips cut down. Therefore, when the rotation direction of the milling cutter remains unchanged, the chip removal direction of the left and right milling cutters will be different.

Because in milling, the rotation direction of the left-handed milling cutter must be the same as that of the right-handed milling cutter in order to change the chip removal direction. For the purpose of changing the chip removal direction, the direction of the blade of the left-handed milling cutter also needs to be the same as that of the right-handed milling cutter, that is, "right cutting", which means that the chip removal method of right-handed right cutting and left-handed right cutting is opposite.

Left-handed milling cutters are generally a kind of tool that is selected for high-precision chip removal requirements, such as: film switch panels, mobile phone button processing, acrylic lenses and LCD panels and other workpieces of precision machining. But some of the high requirements, especially some mobile phone buttons or electrical panel processing, high gloss requirements are also very high, you need to choose the chip removal of the left-handed milling cutter.

What are the benefits of left-handed milling cutter chip removal? This kind of chip removal milling method does not need to clean the surface of the workpiece. The cutting force is downward, and it will not lift the machined workpiece, and the workpiece is not easy to move. Chip removal can also avoid the blade whitening, the workpiece cut edge popping and other phenomena.

In the entire manufacturing industry, the tools used for machining are usually right-handed tools. For milling cutters, the groove of the cutter body determines the direction of chip removal during milling.

If you make precision parts and there is chip removal space below, it is recommended to use left-handed milling cutters. Left-handed milling cutters have certain advantages in machining precision parts with special requirements.

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