Talking to a mold maker from Detroit changed how I look at toolpaths

He told me he never uses trochoidal milling on aluminum because of how it stresses the machine frame over time, and I'd been running it all day every day for 3 years. Has anyone else had a old-timer drop some advice that completely contradicted what you thought was standard practice?

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2 Comments

terry_walker2mo ago

7000 hours on a Haas VF2 with trochoidal paths and no frame issues here.

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wood.noah2mo ago

You ever get that feeling when you hear about a machine just running and running without issues? That's solid. 7000 hours is a good run, especially with trochoidal paths pushing the spindle and frame harder than regular work. I've seen guys baby their machines and still end up with cracked castings, so you definitely got a good one off the line. Happy to hear it's working out for you, that kind of reliability is rare these days.

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