Plastic Milling Cutter

Down-cut cutter for plastic

---

Advantage of down-cut tools

Single flute cutters have the advantage that they have a large flute. The chips can be conveyed upwards past the material surface along this open area. That prevents the bit from clogging. In addition, this protects the plastic milling cutter and extends its service life.

Mode of operation of a milling cutter with Down-Cut

In contrast, here, you can see a plastic milling cutter with a Down-Cut. That presses the chips against the table. In this case, the chips are conveyed downwards or backwards via the groove. These cutters are better suited for shallower milling depths.

Single flute cutters for easier plunging

Single flute cutters have only one cutting edge. You can say that the fewer cutting edges an end mill has, the easier it dips into the surface of the workpiece.

Chip jamming is rarer

The flute is more prominent here. Since a single flute cutter has a larger open area, the risk of chip jamming is lower here.  In contrast, milling cutters with several cutting edges have a minor chip flute. That is because the open area decreases with the number of cutting edges.

Suitable materials for the plastic milling cutter

The single-edged plastic milling cutter properties are particularly well suited for milling work on materials such as plastics, PVC, Plexiglas and acrylic glass, for example. However, you can also use it in soft aluminium, foam or wood.