I don't know the exact process. But I speculate that the copper welds itself to the binder between the carbide particles and then drags the carbide out of the matrix. Sort of similar to dressing a diamond grinding wheel to expose better cutting edges. More of an erosion type of thing. The copper can't really do anything to the carbide itself. Well that's my idea anyway. Now HSS may have its advantages. But I think there is a buildup issue with steel because copper so easily welds itself to steel. Maybe with the correct coatings. But I could not find any data on this.

@@EdgePrecision as a variant of the cubic boron nitride plate.

@@hibahprice6887 what about cubic boron nitride? That piqued my interest but you lost me at the same time

20 years ago I worked with a borehole logging company logging slimline hole to 3+km depth on the Witwatersrand gold fields. 43mm diameter tools that were tough as all hell. And the slimline tools sent data through the cable, oilfield through the mud IIRC. These newer oilfield tools are incredible.

On this material I'm not really having any trouble with standard type of carbide endmills.

I learned really quick that cheap, slightly bent ⅜" drill bit in a regular drill press turns shiny copper into a gummy mess! Ouch. 😖 EDIT: Please tell me choosing Tapmatic oil was at least the ONE thing I was doing right.

The thing about programming and setting up a job. It's kind of a multi step process. So first you come up with some kind of plan. Then you have to see what tooling you will need. Or more importantly what you can get. Once you know that then you can start to actually program in the cam software. You see videos on KZfaq with guys just showing the computer programming part. That doesn't usually take to long. But then you have to set it up with your tooling and see how it runs. Then you make further edits to your program until you get an actual process. In this case I also had to modify some tools. I would say the whole process of acquiring what tooling I could use. then modifying those tools, programming and setup. Plus proving out and modifying the program, took about four days in reality to do. This is because I'm doing everything myself. In a bigger shop you have the tool-crib guy the programmer doing their things. Then the machinist setting up the machine. So people will say they can do it faster. But in reality if you add up all those people's time it takes that long.

@@EdgePrecision Excellent points!

@@EdgePrecision all excellent points, my work has that exact process, engineer, programmer, tool crib guy, then machinist like me, well since we have conversational hurcos I took it upon myself to learn it and program new parts myself, it got me a promotion cause I did so well, anyways, Hurco programming is so easy I picked tools, and programmed, and made all the parts within 2 days without scrap, Il sure you know a lot about this since you have mazaks, which are amazing machines, but dear god I hate the programming mazatrol offers it’s so weird😂 we have mazaks with convo at work as well. (Also I only make copper parts copper is annoying to drill or turn, but super easy to mill)

@@EdgePrecision I work at a bigger place and we also do it all ourselves. It takes longer but it is hard to program and create a good process if you don't run it yourself.

Setup is crucial to quality parts.

Fresh copper does look pretty.

I have made thread mills before. But it's more economical to just buy them.

*protects

Seeing as I work for myself. I guess that would be true.

In order to tip the B axis at 45 it would require a longer tool. The spindle face would hit the OD of the part. So there are trade offs. Witch would be better? I think the same thing would happen. Because the slot is .501 in width and the ball mill is really .499 there is a very slight gap and the shavings are setting in between the tool and the side wall. This compacts them into the soft copper. This would not be a problem in say steel or aluminum.

@@EdgePrecision could be so I was just thinking of trying to remove the near zero surface footage at the centre of the cutter.

These tool holders are Kiser Big Diashowa. The best tool holders I have used. But also the most expensive.

The 360 camera has a lot of utility for things like this but I look forward to the next generation with even more resolution and rendering of the details.

This camera films in 5.7 K. But the actual video is only using a portion on that. The freedom to move your framing of the shot is where it really works. But its not good for detail closeups. Its like digital zoom.

Smart doesn't mean they know about CNC machining. I agree that engineers who design such parts should take a course in machining issues.

Define small corner radius. I am just using the proper tool in my shop. Our company produces tools for themselves, engineers are drawing pockets having tools in mind. So no, I do not know how to make a small radius pocket. If you mean about close to 90 degrees, that I know.

I never get how they can figure out crazy complicated things like boundary layer separation etc........but will argue with you about a extra screw on a joint ....even if it fails because it needed another screw

Two parts per day.

@@EdgePrecision Still a good long days work by the time you get going each day.

Yes I do. I always program a thread mill using cutter comp. Then I set the tool diameter larger. Run the first hole. Then gauge it and rerun until it gages properly. Then I let all the holes run and gauge the last hole.

A STI thread mill is the same as a standard thread mill. Use the same one that you would use for that thread. You just program the diameter for the STI thread. You can go to the Helicoil web site and print out the data on the threads.

Im not sure what this part does. It may be copper for heat sinking purposes.

No there was no setup part.

Yes that would be good to do. In this case (If I remember) there was some clearance issues on the part, fixture the spindle face the chuck jaws and tool holder. But that said you are correct with a ball mill it is always better to cut up on the radius then on the tip where the surface speed is the lowest.

No. Im not saying a special coolant would not be beneficial but it just costs to much to change 300 gallons of coolant for one job. In addition I’m not sure what coolant would be better.

I use QualiChem Extreme Cut 250C at 11% concentration on the refractometer.

If anything copper would tend to kill any bacteria in the coolant. That said I have never had a problem with this.

@@EdgePrecision We rarely run copper. 99% aluminum and common stainless steels. The coolant doesn't turn rancid or stink at all, but the color turns green in machines where copper has been cut. We use Blaser Vasco 6000.

No it's not aerospace.

This machine does have the gear hobbing option. But I have never had a job to use it. Consequently I don’t have any tooling to demonstrate it. I will think about it but the tooling is expensive. It is possible to cut an involute form using a plain circular type cutter. I would have to think about how to make the came software do that. There is no cycle in Esprit that I know of.

This whole program fit into the controls memory. Rather than doing a DNC download (running off the computer). I prefer to break a large program into smaller programs. This machine has a folder where you can store/save programs on it's hard drive. Then transfer them into the working memory. This transfer is very fast. So I just move the programs back and forth and run them in sequence. Doing a DNC drip feed is very much like printing a document from your computer. If something goes wrong you have to start from the beginning. When I run smaller programs in the control I can restart and rerun tools. You cant do that with a DNC drip feed. This machine will hold around a 2 megabit program in it's working memory.

I think this machine is to old for that. I have never had trouble with it. But also I have never measured the retention force.

@@EdgePrecision The gas springs are as old as the Capto taper itself, as far as I know. I've replaced a few on old Doosan/Daewoo machines from the early 2000s. There's an o-ring that fails and allows hp coolant to ingress, they've since updated the design. For future reference, MSC sells replacements for about 1/3 the cost of the MTB! Some of them have a retention function built in, so the tool won't fall out if you unclamp it with the B-axis in the vertical position. Must be why yours requires it to be horizontal. Thank you for the excellent content!!

@@EdgePrecision I believe your machine uses the same spindle motor as a VRX (47 hp), we have 9 of them, and it should be belleville washers with a hydraulic cylinder that compresses them to release your collet. Your drawbar pressure should be 4500-5000 psi. If your collet is worn it will drop rapidly on some machines, particularly Mori Seiki NH5000's. Then, your surface finish is going to suffer along with tool life.

I don't know about the milling spindle motor. Mazak rates it at 50 Hp. I looked at the parts manual's cross section drawing of the mill spindle. It shows a belleville spring washer draw bar for both the Cat 50 big plus spindle and the Capto C8 (My spindle). But the draw force is greater on the Capto C8 taper then the Cat 50 taper. I would refer you to Sandviks video. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mb6kqsdk1qrap6s.html Because ot the way the taper is on a Capto shank there can be more draw force on the spindle's draw bar. And from personal experience with both of these type of connections the Capto C8 is much better then the Cat 50 big plus taper. It is much more secure of a connection hands down. Especially in heavy roughing cuts with milling face/feed mills and long endmills. for a mill turn machine I would not want any other kind of spindle. This also includes the HSK taper.

@@EdgePrecision Yeah, that's the same spindle. They advertise the VRX with 50 hp, it's a Mitsubishi and it has a PLG in it that's very sensitive. I've had to tune them with an oscilloscope before, PIA. I would like it if we did have the mill turn option on our VRX machines, but they never bothered. We just added a Doosan 5x today that apparently can turn, so I'm quite interested. Best wishes.

The software I use the most is SpaceClaim. I do have Fusion 360 also. I have never used Spark Mechanical. I have been working on learning Blender, but that's for 3d printing.

I have been using a Insta360 X3. There are two ways to edit. Use their app or the Premiere plug in. I prefer to use their app and output a file from it. Then use that in Premiere. But you can do everything thing in Premiere. Maybe I just don't know the settings well enough in Premiere but it's a little less user friendly to me.

Copper is surprisingly heavy. When lifting the part you can really feel the weight difference from say steel.

Because tapping copper can be difficult. The holes I tapped were actually thru hole except the ones in the deep c-bores. In those I just started the tap. I finish them to depth after the machining by hand. All the other holes were blind holes.

@@EdgePrecision Thx! I really like your content btw, there is very little professional practical cnc content out there.

Sorry I can't get into the pricing of parts. My customer would not want that. Suffice it to say the price is working out good.

thats cool. keep the videos coming, ty to the customer for making this video possible.

For Esprit?

Spiral thread inserts. Or what's better known as Helicoil.

@@EdgePrecision Ok, so you end up with a steel thread in the copper? Kinda like they do on aluminum engine blocks? I dont love them there, maybe they are better in copper.

Sorry no. Because I don't really know what it does.

There are a couple of possibilities. One; they would ship the good parts and charge me for the material and labor already in the part when I got it. Often times the customer is ordering parts for their stock and this is possible. Two; They need all the quantity and I would get charged for the material/labor and have to buy more material and remake the part. No there were no setup parts for this job. This isn't to complicated and I didn't feel the need for one. I have done that in the past for other jobs though, with much more expensive material and operations in them, before I got them.

@@EdgePrecision You're a whiz, that's why. I work in a large shop, we have probably 200+ nc machines, and I don't know if our toolmakers could whip up this part as you have. I maintain the equipment, but I know what you have to know to accomplish the things you do. Very impressive.

That is possible but I like to do it the way I show in this video. The probing would not save the time it takes to set it up on five parts. This machine does not have dynamic work offsets so the probe cant adjust for runout. So I would still have to do that manually. So the Haimer works just as good.

I don't know.

I think they are using copper for its heat sinking ability. But I’m not sure.

I can't really go into cost. My customer would not like it. Suffice it to say this is an expensive part. But It's just part of a assembly of two pieces. The other part of the assembly is Inconel. even more expensive. I'm not doing that part.

@@EdgePrecision Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Yes. All milled parts have milling marks. For some reason in copper the way the light highlights the finish they show up on camera a lot more than other materials. But believe me those surfaces are quite smooth.

Mazatrol is very good for 2 axis turning work. But I don't care for it to do milling. The simulation is not as good as some cam software's. And for everything it doesn't take into account the stock or remaining stock in turning and milling as well as cam software. This creates unwanted air cuts in some situations. Maybe on the newer versions that I have not used it can, I don't know. But I don't think it can do the more modern machining strategies. Some of what I'm using in this video. There is a place for both. If I was to do just generic turning on a lathe with a Mazatrol control. I would never run a cam program on that machine. For that you are correct.