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I. Classification by Structure (Solid vs. Assembled)
1. Solid End Mill
Description: The cutter body and cutting teeth are a single piece, typically made of High-Speed Steel (HSS) or solid carbide.
Characteristics: Offers high rigidity and precision; it is the most common type of milling cutter.
Applications: Widely used for contour milling, shoulder milling, face milling, drilling, and slotting.
2. Indexable End Mill
Description: Indexable carbide inserts are mounted onto the cutter body. Once a cutting edge is dulled, it can be rotated to a fresh, unused edge without the need for regrinding.
Characteristics: Cost-effective and highly efficient, as it eliminates tool grinding. However, overall rigidity is slightly lower than that of solid end mills.
Applications: Roughing and semi-finishing, especially on large workpieces or difficult-to-machine materials.
II. Classification by Function and Application
1. End Mill
Description: Cutting edges are located on both the periphery and the end face, allowing for simultaneous radial and axial cutting.
Applications: The most versatile type of end mill, used for face milling, shoulder milling, pocket milling, and contour machining.
2. Face Mill
Description: Features a large diameter and is primarily used for milling large, flat surfaces. The cutter body holds multiple indexable inserts.
Characteristics: High metal removal rate and good surface finish quality.
Applications: Milling large-area flat surfaces.
3. Side and Face Cutter
Description: Has cutting teeth on its circumference and both sides.
Applications: Specifically designed for milling narrow, deep, square slots or shoulders.
4. Slitting Saw / Saw Blade Cutter
Description: Very thin, resembling a circular saw, with a relatively low number of teeth.
Applications: Used for cutting narrow slots, parting-off, and slotting.
5. Ball Nose End Mill
Description: The end is ground to a hemispherical shape.
Applications: Primarily used for 3D contouring, semi-finishing and finishing of mold cavities, and engraving.
6. Corner Radius End Mill / Bull Nose End Mill
Description: Features a rounded corner at the end.
Applications: Used for pocket milling, 2D contouring, and profile milling. The corner strength is higher than that of a 90-degree square end mill.
7. T-Slot Cutter
Description: Specially designed for milling T-slots.
Applications: Machining T-slots in machine tool tables, etc.
8. Thread Mill
Description: Used to produce threads inside holes or on cylinders.
Applications: High-precision thread machining, particularly suitable for large workpieces or difficult-to-machine materials.
9. Keyseat Cutter
Description: Typically has two flutes and can cut directly from the end, similar to a drill.
Applications: Specifically designed for milling keyways on shafts.
10. Corn Cob Cutter / Roughing End Mill
Description: A type of roughing end mill with multiple rows of staggered, indexable inserts, resembling a corn cob.
Characteristics: Large chip gullet for good chip evacuation, reduced vibration, and extremely high metal removal rates.
Applications: Heavy-duty roughing of large workpieces.
III. Classification by Number of Teeth
Coarse Pitch (Low Tooth Count): Larger chip gullets provide better chip evacuation, suitable for roughing and machining soft materials (like aluminum).
Fine Pitch (High Tooth Count): More teeth are in cut simultaneously, resulting in smoother operation, suitable for finishing and on rigid machine tools.
IV. Classification by Material
High-Speed Steel (HSS): Good toughness and lower cost; suitable for low-speed machining and complex cutter geometries.
Solid Carbide: High hardness and wear resistance; the mainstream choice for modern CNC machining.
Coated Tools: Coatings (e.g., TiN, TiAlN, DLC) applied to a carbide substrate significantly increase hardness, wear resistance, and heat resistance.
Selecting the correct milling cutter requires consideration of the workpiece material, type of operation (roughing/finishing), machine tool power and rigidity, and the required surface finish.
