1

Cutting Speeds and

Feeds
Unit 41
2
Cutting Speeds and Feeds
Two important factors
Diameter and material of cutting tool
Type of material being cut
Speed of twist drill referred to as cutting speed,
surface speed or peripheral speed
Distance point on circumference of drill will travel
in 1 min

3
Recommended Cutting Speeds
Portion of Table 41.1 from text
Drill Size Cutting Speeds in Feet per Min or Meters per Min
in mm 40 ft/min 12 m/min 60 ft/min 18 m/min
1/16 2 2445 1910 3665 2865
1/8 3 1220 1275 1835 1910
3/16 4 815 955 1220 1430
Steel Casting Tool Steel
For every job, choose the drill speed that will
result in the best production rates!
4
Economical Drilling Speed
Variables
Type and hardness of material
Diameter and material of drill
Depth of hole
Type and condition of drill press
Efficiency of cutting fluid employed
Accuracy and quality of hole required
Rigidity of work setup
Most important!
5
Revolutions per Minute
Compute correct number of r/min of drill press
spindle for given size drill
Type of material to be drilled
Recommended cutting speed of material
Type of material from which drill is made
6
Formula (Inch)
inches) in nce circumfere (drill
12 minute) per feet (
min /
D
x CS
r

Revolution per minute = number of revolutions

of the drill necessary to attain proper cutting
speed for metal being machined.
where CS = recommended cutting speed in
feet per minute for the material being drilled
D = diameter of drill being used
7
Simplified Formula
Since not all machines can be set to exact calculated
speed, pi () divided into 12 to simplify formula
D
CS
r
4 x
min /
Example: Calculate r/min required to drill a in hole
in cast iron (CS 80) with a high-speed steel drill.
640
2 / 1
320
2 / 1
4 x 80
min / r
8
Formula (Metric)
) (
) (
min /
mm D
m CS
r

Convert so all units are in mm

D
CS
r

1000 x
min /

D
CS
r

320 x
min /
Example: Calculate r/min required to drill 15 mm hole in
tool steel (CS 18) using a high-speed steel drill.
384
15
5760
15
320 x 18
min / r
9
Feed
Distance drill advances into work for each
revolution
May be expressed in decimals, fractions of an
inch, or millimeters
Three factors govern rate of feed
Diameter of drill
Material of workpiece
Condition of drilling machine
10
Drill Feeds
Table 41.2 Drill feeds
Drill Size Feed per Revolution
in. mm in. mm
18 and smaller 3 and smaller .001 to .002 0.02 to 0.05
18 to 3 to 6 .002 to .004 0.05 to 0.1
to 6 to 13 .004 to .007 0.1 to 0.18
to 1 13 to 25 .007 to .015 0.18 to 0.38
1 to 1 25 to 38 .015 to .025 0.38 to 0.63
General purpose Work
11
Drill Feeds
General rule: feed rate increases as drill size
increases
Too coarse chip cutting edges
Too light chattering noise, dulls cutting edge
Hard steels or alloys use slower feed
Softer metals drilled with faster feed
Blue steel chips indicate too much heat at cutting
edge
Dull cutting edge or too high speed
12
Cutting Fluids
Provide both cooling and lubrication
Properties of an effective liquid in dissipating
heat
Able to absorb heat rapidly
Have good resistance to evaporation
Have high thermal conductivity


Oil: good lubricant, poor coolant
Water: best coolant, no lubricating value (promotes rust)
13
Good Cutting Fluid
Cools workpiece and tool
Reduces friction
Improves cutting action
Protects work against rusting
Provides anti-weld properties
Washes away chips