PSA: I used to run my finishing passes at the same speed as my roughing cuts

For years, I just left the feed rate alone after the roughing cycle, thinking it saved time. Then I watched a guy in the shop next door run a finish pass on some aluminum at about 60% of his roughing speed. I tried it on a batch of 50 parts last week, and the surface finish went from looking okay to looking like glass. Now I always dial it back for the final pass. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for speed reduction on steel versus aluminum?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellyfoster29d ago

Oh man, that's a total game changer, right?

the_uma29d ago

Honestly feels like it changes everything we thought we knew. Tbh it makes the old way seem pointless now.

faith_palmer5129d ago

Drop it to like 70% for steel, maybe 60% for aluminum. Lets the tool clean up without pushing too hard. Surface finish gets way more consistent that way.