figuring chip load

[Nemanja Vujkovic]

Is there an online tool for figuring chip load?

[Jason Susnjara]

Hi Nemanja,

Here is what I found on another website.


You can determine your chip load or figure your speeds and rpm to target the proper chip load with the following formulae.
Chip load = Feed rate / (RPM * # of Cutting Edges)
Feed rate = RPM * Cutting Edges * Chip load
RPM = Feed rate / (# of cutting edges * Chip load)

[Ryan Hochgesang]

Hi Nemanja,

The following is some information which can be helpful when finding acceptable feeds/speeds:

- Typically the tool manufacturer will provide a recommended value for chip load size
- I’ve found the following formulae helpful in getting close to acceptable feeds/speeds:
o Chip load = Feed rate / (RPM * # of Cutting Edges)
o Feed rate = RPM * Cutting Edges * Chip load
o RPM = Feed rate / (# of cutting edges * Chip load)

This will provide a good starting point, but there are also a couple of other considerations. First, chip loading is ultimately a measure of how much heat is taken away from the cut and consequently from the cutting tool. Too little will cause the tool to overheat and die prematurely. Of course too much will put too great a load on the tool and spindle and give a poor quality of cut.
Other factors contributing to heat buildup must also be considered:
- One is plunging versus ramping into a cut. Plunging creates a tremendous amount of heat and will quickly kill a tool that has the proper feed rate.
- The other is deceleration at corners. If you are cutting a few large parts from a board, then the heat buildup as the spindle slows and/or stops when turning a corner will not be a big factor. But if you are cutting many smaller parts, this becomes a major factor. Also, with short movements at feed speed, the tool spends a lot of time at less than optimal feed rates, thus more heat buildup due to smaller chip loads.

I hope this information has been helpful.

[Nemanja Vujkovic]

Thank you all for your help!