2. Milling
Milling machines of various types are widely used
for the following purposes using proper cutting
tools called milling cutters:
Flat surface in vertical, horizontal and inclined planes
Making slots or ribs of various sections
Slitting or parting
Often producing surfaces of revolution
Making helical grooves like flutes of the drills
Long thread milling on large lead screws, power screws,
worms etc and short thread milling for small size
fastening screws, bolts etc.
3. Milling
2-D contouring like cam profiles, clutches etc and 3-D
contouring like die or mould cavities
Cutting teeth in piece or batch production of spur gears,
straight toothed bevel gears, worm wheels, sprockets,
clutches etc.
Producing some salient features like grooves, flutes,
gushing and profiles in various cutting tools, e.g., drills,
taps, reamers, hobs, gear shaping cutters etc.
5. Up milling and down milling
In down milling, though the cut starts with a full chip
thickness, the cut gradually reduces to zero. This helps in
eliminating the feed marks present in the case of up
milling and consequently better surface finish.
Climb milling also allows greater feeds per tooth and
longer cutting life between regrinds than the
conventional milling.
Up milling needs stronger holding of the job and down
milling needs backlash free screw-nut systems for
feeding.
6. Advantages of Down Milling
1. Suited to machine thin and hard-to-hold parts since
the workpiece is forced against the table or holding
device by the cutter.
2. Work need not be clamped as tightly.
3. Consistent parallelism and size may be maintained,
particularly on thin parts.
4. It may be used where breakout at the edge of the
workpiece could not be tolerated.
5. It requires upto 20% less power to cut by this method.
6. It may be used when cutting off stock or when milling
deep, thin slots.
7. Disadvantages of Down Milling
1. It cannot be used unless the machine has a backlash
eliminator and the table jibs have been tightened.
2. It cannot be used for machining castings or hot rolled
steel, since the hard outer scale will damage the cutter.
8. IES - 2007
What is the process of removing metal by a milling
cutter which is rotated against the direction of
travel of the work piece, called?
(a) Down milling (b) Up milling
(c) End milling (d) Face milling
9. IES - 1997
Consider the following statements:
In Up milling process,
1. The cutter starts the cut from the machined surface and
proceeds upwards.
2. The cutter starts the cut from the top surface and
proceeds downwards.
3. The job is fed in a direction opposite to that of cutter
rotation.
4. The job is fed in the same direction as that of cutter
rotation.
Of these statements correct are:
(a) 1 and 3 (b) 1 and 4
(c) 2 and 3 (d) 2 and 4
10. IES 2010
Assertion (A): Climb or down milling operation ensures
smoother operation of the machine tool and longer tool life
as compared to the conventional up milling operation.
Reason (R): In climb or down milling operation, the
rotational motion of the cutter as well as the feed motion of
the work-piece are in the same direction, and the depth of
cut is maximum at the entry point as the cutter engages the
workpiece.
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct
explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is NOT the correct
explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
12. Classification of milling machines
(a) According to nature of purposes of use:
General purpose
Single purpose
Special purpose
(b) According to configuration and motion of the
work-holding table / bed
Knee type
Bed type
Planer type
Rotary table type
13. Classification of milling machines
(c) According to the orientation of the spindle(s).
Plain horizontal knee type
Horizontal axis (spindle) and swiveling bed type
Vertical spindle type
Universal head milling machine
(d) According to mechanization / automation and
production rate
Hand mill (milling machine)
Planer and rotary table type vertical axis milling machines
Tracer controlled copy milling machine,
Milling machines for short thread milling
Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) milling machine
14. Classifications of milling cutters
(a) Profile sharpened cutters – where the geometry of
the machined surfaces are not related with the tool
shape, viz;
i. Slab or plain milling cutter: – straight or helical
fluted
ii. Side milling cutters – single side or both sided type
iii. Slotting cutter
iv. Slitting or parting tools
v. End milling cutters – with straight or taper shank
vi. Face milling cutters.
15. Classifications of milling cutters
(b) Form relieved cutters – where the job profile
becomes the replica of the
Tool-form, e.g., viz.;
i. Form cutters
ii. Gear (teeth) milling cutters
iii. Spline shaft cutters
iv. Tool form cutters
v. T-slot cutters
vi. Thread milling cutter
27. IES – 1995, ISRO-2010
In a milling operation two side milling cutters are
mounted with a desired distance between them so
that both sides of a work piece can be milled
simultaneously. This set up is called.
(a) Gang milling (b) Straddle milling
(c) String milling (d) Side milling.
29. IAS-2009 Main
With a sketch, explain the principle of working
and variations of bed-type milling machine.
[9-marks]
30. Bed-type milling Machine
In bed-type machines, the work table is mounted directly on
the bed, which replaces the knee and can move only
longitudinally.
These milling machines are not as versatile as other types,
but they have great stiffness and are used for high production
work.
The spindles may be horizontal or vertical, and of duplex or
triplex types-that is, with two or three spindles for
simultaneous machining of two or three workpiece surfaces.
31. Fig. Bed-type milling machine, Single vertical-spindle
cutter and two horizontal spindle cutters.
32. IES - 2006
Gang milling is a
(a) Milling process for generating hexagonal surfaces
(b) Process of cutting gears
(c) Process in which two or more cutters are used
simultaneously
(d) Milling operation combined with turning
33. IES - 2009
For machining, which one of the following gang
milling operations is employed?
(a) Threads
(b) Bores
(c) Grooves
(d) Steps on prismatic parts
36. Simple or Plain Indexing
Plain indexing is the name given to the indexing method
carried out using any of the indexing plates in
conjunction with the worm.
39. IES – 2004, ISRO-2011
One brand of milling machine has the following two
index plates supplied along with the indexing head:
Plate 1: 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 hole circles
Plate 2: 21, 23, 27, 29, 31, 33 hole circles
It is proposed to mill a spur gear of 28 teeth using simple
indexing method. Which one of the following combinations
of index plate and number of revolutions is correct?
(a) Plate 1: 1 revolution and 9 holes in 18 hole circles
(b) Plate 2: 1 revolution and 9 holes in 21 hole circles
(c) Plate 2: 1 revolution and 9 holes In 33 hole circles
(d) Plate 1: 1 revolution and 9 holes In 15 hole circles
40. IES - 2000
One of the index plates of a milling machine
dividing head has the following hole circles: 15; 16;
17; 18; 19; 20
A gear wheel of 34 teeth has to be milled by simple
indexing method. To machine each tooth, the index
crank has to be rotated through
(a) 17 holes in the 20-hole circle
(b) 18 holes in the 20-hole circle
(c) 1 revolution and 3 holes in 17-hole circle
(d) 1 revolution and 2 holes in 18-hole circle
41. IAS - 1994
A standard dividing head is equipped with the
following index plates
1. Plate with 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 holes circles
2. Plate with 21, 23, 27, 29, 31, 33 holes circles
3. Plate with 37, 39, 41,43,47,49 holes circles
For obtaining 24 divisions on a work piece by simple
indexing
(a) Hole plate 2 alone can be used
(b) Hole plates 1 and 2 can be used
(c) Hole plates 1 and 3 can be used
(d) Any of the three hole plates can be used
42. Milling Velocity
The cutting speed in milling is the surface speed of the
milling cutter.
DN
V
1000
43. Milling Time
Time for one pass = minutes
Approach distance,
L 2 A
fZN
2 2
D D
A d d D d
2 2
44. Example
A C50 steel flat surface of dimensions 100 mm 250
mm is to be produced on a horizontal axis milling
machine. An HSS slab mill with a 100 mm diameter
and 150 mm width is to be used for the purpose. The
milling cutter has 8 teeth.
Calculate the machining time assuming that entire
stock can be removed in one depth of 2 mm.
Given,
Feed, f = 0.13 mm/tooth,
Cutting speed, V = 20 m/min.
45. MRR in Milling
Considering the parameters defined in the discussion of
speeds and feeds, etc, the MRR is given below,
Where,
MRR =
where, w = width of cut, d = depth of cut
w d F
46. Some Formulae for Milling
max
a
2
max 2 2
2
Maximum uncut chip thickness (t )
Average uncut chip thickness(t )
Peak to valley surface roughness (h )
4
vg
f d
NZ D
f d
NZ D
f
DN Z
47. GATE - 2014
Two separate slab milling operations, 1 and 2, are
performed with identical milling cutters. The depth of
cut in operation 2 is twice that in operation 1. The other
cutting parameters are identical. The ratio of maximum
uncut chip thicknesses in operations 1 and 2 is …………
48. GATE - 1995
List-I List- II
(Manufacturing Processes) (Condition)
(A) Finish turning 1. Backlash eliminator
(B) Forming 2. Zero rake
(C) Thread cutting 3. Nose radius
(D) Down milling 4. Low speed
Codes:A B C D A B C D
(a) 2 3 4 1 (b) 3 4 1 2
(c) 1 2 3 4 (d) 4 1 2 3
49. GATE - 1993
A milling cutter having 8 teeth is rotating at 150
rpm. If the feed per tooth is 0.1 mm, the table speed
in mm per minute is
(a) 120 (b) 187
(c) 125 (d) 70
50. IES - 2003
In milling machine, the cutting tool is held in
position by
(a) Chuck (b) Spindle
(c) Arbor (d) Tool holder
51. IES - 2009
The arbor of a milling machine is used to hold
which one of the following?
(a) Spindle (b) Over-arm
(c) Cutting tool (d) Mandrel
52. IES - 1994
Consider the following operations:
1. Cutting key ways on shafts
2. Cutting external screw threads.
3. Cutting teeth of spur gears
4. Cutting external splines.
Those which can be performed with milling cutters
would include
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2,3 and 4
(c) 1 and 3 (d) 1,2,3 and 4 .
53. IES - 1992
A set of eight form relieved milling cutters for each
module is provided to enable cutting of gears of
different
(a) Materials
(b) Types e.g. spur, helical, etc.
(c) Number of teeth
(d) Width of gears
55. IES - 1995
Assertion (A): Up milling or climb milling is
commonly used for machining castings and
forgings.
Reason (R): Up milling can be done on universal
milling machines.
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the
correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the
correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
56. IES - 2005
Which one of the following statements is correct?
In up-milling operation, the undeformed chip thickness,
a) Is zero at the start of the cut and increases to a
maximum value just before the tooth disengages the
workpiece.
b) Increases to the maximum value at the centre of the
travel and decreases towards the end of tooth
engagement.
c) Has a maximum value just after the cut is started and
drops to zero at the end of the cut.
d) Remains unchanged.
57. IES - 1993
Climb milling is chosen while machining because
(a) The chip thickness increases gradually
(b) It enables the cutter to dig in and depth of cut
(c) The specific power consumption is reduced
(d) Better surface finish can be obtained
58. IES - 2002
Assertion (A): Virtually all modern milling machines
are capable of doing down-milling.
Reason (R): In down-milling the cutter tends to push
the work along and lift it upward from the table. This
action tends to eliminate any effect in looseness in the
feed screw and nut of the milling machine table and
results in smooth cut.
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct
explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the
correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
59. IES - 2004
The cutting speed of a milling cutter while cutting
brass is:
(a) 45 to 60 m/min (b) 30 to 40 m/min
(c) 25 to 35 m/min (d) 15 to 20 m/min
60. IES - 1999
A straight teeth slab milling cutter of 100 mm
diameter and 10 teeth rotating at 200 r.p.m. is used
to remove a layer of 3 mm thickness from a steel bar.
If the table feed is 400 mm/minute, the feed per
tooth in this operation will be
(a) 0.2 mm (b) 0.4 mm
(c) 0.5 mm (d) 0.6 mm
61. IES - 2002
A side and face cutter 125 mm diameter has 10 teeth.
It operates at a cutting speed of 14 m/min with a
table traverse 100 mm/min. The feed per tooth of
the cutter is
(a) 10 mm (b) 2.86 mm
(c) 0.286 mm (d) 0.8 mm
62. GATE – 2012 (PI) Common Data S1
Data for a plain milling operation are given below.
Length of workpiece 200 mm
Cutter diameter 100 mm
No. of teeth 4
Cutter speed 100 rpm
Feed 200 mm/min
Depth of cut 2 mm
Total clearance (entry and exit) 5 mm
Mean undeformed chip thickness (in microns) is
(a) 142 (b) 100 (c) 71 (d) 50
63. GATE – 2012 (PI) Common Data S2
Data for a plain milling operation are given below.
Length of workpiece 200 mm
Cutter diameter 100 mm
No. of teeth 4
Cutter speed 100 rpm
Feed 200 mm/min
Depth of cut 2 mm
Total clearance (entry and exit) 5 mm
Machining time for a single pass (in seconds) is
(a) 60 (b) 66 (c) 126 (d) 150
64. GATE-2016 (PI)
A 60 mm wide block of low carbon steel is face milled at
a cutting speed of 120 m/min, feed of 0.1 mm/tooth and
axial depth of cut of 4 mm. A schematic representation
of the face milling process is shown below. The diameter
of the cutter is 120 mm and it has 12 cutting edges. The
material removal rate (in mm3/s) is ______.
Schematic Representation (top view)
65. IES - 2004
Match List I (Milling problem) with List II (Probable
causes) and select the correct answer using the codes
given below the Lists:
List I List II
A. Chatter 1. Too high feed
B. Poor surface finish 2. Lack of rigidity in machine
fixtures, bar or workpiece
C. Loss of accuracy 3. High cutting load
D. Cutter burrs 4. Radial relief too great
5. Not enough lubricant
Codes:A B C D A B C D
(a) 2 1 5 3 (b) 2 1 3 5
(c) 4 5 2 3 (d) 4 2 3 5
66. IAS - 2001
Which one of the following statements are correct in respect of
up-milling and down-milling?
1. In up-milling the cutter rotates in a direction opposite to that of
workpiece travel whereas in down-milling the cutter rotates in a
direction similar to that of workpiece travel.
2. In down-milling chip will be thin at the beginning and increase to a
maximum at the end of the cut and reverse will be the case for a chip
formed by up-milling.
3. Down-milling is desirable with milling cutters having a high radial
rake angle when compared to up-milling.
4. Down-milling forces the work-piece against the milling table to
exert more pressure while up-milling tends to lift the workpiece from the
table.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Codes:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 1, 2 and 4
(c) 3 and 4 (d) 1, 3 and 4
67. IAS - 1998
Which of the following statements are true of face
milling?
1. Face milling cutter is held on an arbor.
2. It has two rake angles· axial rake and radial rake.
3. The maximum chip thickness equals the feed per
tooth.
4. The chip thickness varies from a minimum at the
start of cut to a maximum at the end of cut.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Codes :
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 2 and 4 (d) 3 and 4
68. IAS - 2001
Which of the following mechanisms are suitable for
indexing the table of rotary transfer line?
1. Rack and pinion 2. Ratchet and pawl
3. Lead screw 4. Geneva mechanism
Select the correct answer by using the codes given below:
Codes:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 3 and 4 (d) 1, 2 and 4
69. IAS - 2000
Consider the following mechanisms:
1. Geneva gearing
2. Rack and pinion
3. Ratchet and pawl
Which of these mechanisms are used to index the work
table on a transfer machine?
(a) 1 and 2 (b) 2 and 3
(c) 1 and 3 (d) 1, 2 and 3
70. IAS - 2003
A milling cutter of 70 mm diameter with 12 teeth is
operating at a cutting speed of 22 m/min and a feed
of 0.05 mm/tooth. The feed per minute is
(a) 110 m/min (b) 35 mm/min
(c) 6 mm/min (d) 60 mm/min
71. IES-1994
Which one of the following operations is carried out
at the minimum cutting velocity if the machines are
equally rigid and the tool work materials are the
same?
(a) Turning
(b) Grinding
(c) Boring
(d) Milling
72. IES - 2012
Statement (I): Vibrations in milling are induced due to
interrupted cutting operation.
Statement (II):Vibrations can be suppressed to a large extent
by using equal spacing of teeth along the periphery of the
cutters.
(a) Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are individually
true and Statement (II) is the correct explanation of
Statement (I)
(b) Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are individually
true but Statement (II) is not the correct explanation of
Statement (I)
(c) Statement (I) is true but Statement (II) is false
(d) Statement (I) is false but Statement (II) is true
73. IES 2011
Match List –I with List –II and select the correct answer using
the code given below the lists :
Codes
A B C D A B C D
(a) 2 4 1 3 (b) 3 4 1 2
(c) 2 1 4 3 (d) 3 1 4 2
List –I List –II
A. Lathe 1. Flute
B. Shaper 2. Universal indexing
C. Drilling machine 3. Leadscrew
D. Milling machine 4. Rocker arm
74. IES- 2002
Match List I with List II and select the correct
answer:
List I (Machine tools) List II (Machine tool parts)
A. Lathe 1. Lead strew
B. Milling machine 2. Rocker arm
C. Shaper 3. Universal indexing
D. Drilling machine 4. Flute
Codes:A B C D A B C D
(a) 4 2 3 1 (b) 1 3 2 4
(c) 4 3 2 1 (d) 1 2 3 4
Editor's Notes
The basic function of milling machines is to produce flat surfaces in any orientation as well as surfaces of revolution, helical surfaces and contoured surfaces of various configurations. Such functions are accomplished by slowly feeding the workpiece into the equispaced multiedge circular cutting tool rotating at moderately high speed as indicated in Fig.shown in below.
Ans. (b) just to remember: Up milling means after cutting, tool tooth with chip goes down
Ans. (a)
Ans. (b)
(a) According to nature of purposes of use:
• General purpose – most versatile commonly used mainly for piece or small lot production
• Single purpose – e.g., thread milling machines, cam milling machines and slitting machine which are generally used for batch or lot production.
• Special purpose – these are used for lot or mass production, e.g., duplicating mills, die sinkers, short thread milling etc.
(b) According to configuration and motion of the work-holding table / bed
Knee type: typically in such small and medium duty machines the table with the job/work travels over the bed (guides) in horizontal (X) and transverse (Y) directions and the bed with the table and job on it moves vertically (Z) up and down.
Bed type
Planer type
Rotary table type
(c) According to the orientation of the spindle(s).
Plain horizontal knee type
Horizontal axis (spindle) and swiveling bed type
Vertical spindle type
Universal head milling machine
(d) According to mechanization / automation and production rate
Hand mill (milling machine)
Planer and rotary table type vertical axis milling machines
Tracer controlled copy milling machine,
Milling machines for short thread milling
Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) milling machine
• Slab or Plain milling cutters: -
Plain milling cutters are hollow straight HSS cylinder of 40 to 80 mm outer diameter having 4 to 16 straight or helical equi-spaced flutes or cutting edges and are used in horizontal arbour to machine flat surface as shown in Fig. below.
Side and slot milling cutters
These arbour mounted disc type cutters have a large number of cutting teeth at equal spacing on the periphery. Each tooth has a peripheral cutting edge and another cutting edge on one face in case of single side cutter and two more cutting edges on both the faces leading to double sided cutter. One sided cutters are used to produce one flat surface or steps comprising two flat surfaces at right angle as shown in Fig. below. Both sided cutters are used for making rectangular slots bounded by three flat surfaces. Slotting is also done by another similar cutter having only one straight peripheral cutting on each tooth. These cutters may be made from a single piece of HSS or its teeth may be of carbide blades brazed on the periphery or clamped type uncoated or coated carbide inserts for high production machining.
Slitting saw or parting tool (Fig. shown in below)
These milling cutters are very similar to the slotting cutters having only one peripheral cutting edge on each tooth. However, the slitting saws
─ Are larger in diameter and much thin
─ possess large number of cutting teeth but of small size
─ Used only for slitting or parting.
The shape and the common applications of end milling cutters (profile sharpened type) are shown in Fig. below. The common features and characteristics of such cutters are:
– Mostly made of HSS
– 4 to 12 straight or helical teeth on the periphery and face
– Diameter ranges from about 1 mm to 40 mm
– Very versatile and widely used in vertical spindle type milling machines
– End milling cutters requiring larger diameter are made as a separate cutter body which is fitted in the spindle through a taper shank arbour as shown in the same figure.
Face milling cutters
The shape, geometry and typical use of face milling cutters are shown in Fig. below.
The main features are:
• Usually large in diameter (80 to 800 mm) and heavy
• Used only for machining flat surfaces in different orientations
• Mounted directly in the vertical and / or horizontal spindles
• Coated or uncoated carbide inserts are clamped at the outer edge of the carbon steel body as shown
• Generally used for high production machining of large jobs.
Use of form relieved cutters (milling)
The distinguishing characteristics of such cutters, in contrast to profile sharpened cutters, are;
• Form of the tool is exactly replica of the job-profile to be made.
• Clearance or flank surfaces of the teeth are of archemedian spiral shaped instead of flat.
• Teeth are sharpened by grinding the rake surface only.
• Used for making 2-D and 3-D contour surfaces.
The configurations and applications of several form relieved type milling cutters of common use are briefly presented.
• Form cutters
Such disc type HSS cutters are generally used for making grooves or slots of various profiles as indicated in Fig. below.
Form cutters may be also end mill type like T-slot cutter as shown in Fig. below.
Form milling type cutters are also used widely for cutting slots or flutes of different cross section e.g. the flutes of twist drills (Fig. shown in below), milling cutters, reamers etc., and gushing of hobs, tabs, short thread milling cutters etc.
Gear milling cutters are made of HSS and available mostly in disc form like slot milling cutters and also in the form of end mill for producing teeth of large module gears. The form of these tools conforms to the shape of the gear tooth-gaps bounded by two involutes as shown in Fig. below. Such form relieved cutters can be used for producing teeth of straight and helical toothed external spur gears and worm wheels as well as straight toothed bevel gears.
Spline shaft cutters
These disc type HSS form relieved cutters are used for cutting the slots of external spline shafts having 4 to 8 straight axial teeth Fig. shown in below.
Straddle milling
For faster and accurate machining two parallel vertical surfaces at a definite distance on the horizontal milling arbour as shown in Fig. shown in below.
Ans. (b)
Gang milling
In gang milling, being employed, where feasible, for quick production of complex contours comprising a number of parallel flat or curved surfaces a proper combination of several cutters are mounted tightly on the same horizontal milling arbour as indicated in Fig. shown in below.
Ans. (c)
Ans. (d)
Turning by rotary tools (milling cutters)
During turning like operations in large heavy and odd shaped jobs, its speed (rpm) is essentially kept low. For enhancing productivity and better cutting fluid action rotary tools like milling cutters are used as shown in Fig. below.
Ans. (b)
Ans. (c)
Ans. (d)
Number of turns in simple indexing =
Where,
V = cutting speed (surface), m/min
D = diameter of the milling cutter, mm
N = rotational speed of the milling cutter, rpm
Ans. 0.70 to 0.72
Ans. (a)
Ans. (a)
Ans. (c)
Ans. (c)
Ans. (d) Cutting external screw threads cant be possible with milling.
Ans. (c)
Ans. down, down
Ans. (d)
Ans. (a)
Ans. (d) The main advantage of climb milling is better surface finish
Ans. (c)
Ans. (a)
Ans. (a) Table feed = feed/teeth x No. of teeth x rpm