By Nicholas
Long reach endmill with tapered shoulder
I'm just getting started with HSMAdvisor and I like what I see so far. I did have a few questions about entering a particular long reach tool, though. I've got this tiny 0.015" Harvey Tool 992515-C3 endmill (see attached endmill.jpg), which has 3xD flutes and 12xD reach. I measured roughly 7mm for the length of the shoulder. Since there isn't an extra field in HSMAdvisor for reach, entering everything exactly from the datasheet (along with the 7mm shoulder I measured, which isn't listed in the specs) gives a tool that isn't correct. (See attached 1.png) The first workaround was to lie about the flute length and just enter the total reach instead. (Is this the correct procedure?) That gets things closer (see attached 2.png), but now the shoulder doesn't look right anymore. My guess is that the "should len." field isn't just for the tapered portion, but instead it's the full distance measured from the end of the mill to the back of the shoulder. Entering reach+shoulder (or 0.18" + 7mm) for the "shoulder len." field finally gave a simulated tool image that looked correct. (See attached 3.png) So, I suppose for my final question: is manually adding those two numbers together really the right answer or am I missing another box someplace or doing something else wrong? Thanks!
Eldar Gerfanov (Admin)
Hello, This is how you should set up this end mill. The important part is Shoulder Length (Reach) and Flute Length. You should disable the Tapered Shoulder check box.
Nicholas
Thanks for the fast reply! I think I understand now: the important part is fully describing the tiny part that actually has a chance to break. And the geometry beyond the fragile part isn't as important to model accurately. I was getting caught up with the little picture in the app not completely resembling the tool in real life. Thanks again! I'd already broken one of those (unfortunately $45) end mills and bought HSMAdvisor to see where I went wrong, hehe.
Eldar Gerfanov (Admin)
Yes, your understanding is correct. The shank portion of the tool in this case is infinitely stronger than the shoulder portion. The 30 day trial is given specifically for you to try the app before purchasing. Please try HSMAdvisor in your shop and if you dont like it, i will gladly issue you a refund. Best regards.