Can we talk about the difference a proper toolpath made on my 316 stainless job

I was running a batch of 50 parts on our VF2, just a simple pocket and some holes. The first 10 took about 22 minutes each and the finish was okay, but the endmill sounded angry. My lead suggested I switch from a constant stepover toolpath to a high-efficiency one. The next part dropped to 17 minutes and the surface finish looked like glass. The tool just sounded calmer, less chatter. It was the exact same material, same speeds and feeds, just a smarter path. Has anyone else seen a jump like that just from changing the CAM strategy?

2 comments

2 Comments

betty_walker1d ago

Switched from a standard pocket routine to a trochoidal path for some 304 stainless slots. The old way shook the vise and left chatter marks. The new path just hummed, cut the cycle time by a third, and the endmill lasted twice as long. It's crazy how much the toolpath matters when you're pushing hard materials.

dakotal191d ago

Wait, you really saw that big of a difference just from the toolpath? Sounds a bit extra, @betty_walker.