Machining hardened stock isn't for the faint of heart, but many alert shops have figured out how. In fact, some are running steels up to Rc 60 four or five times faster - even in cavity work. Others have even found a way to mill the hard stuff on light-duty machines using conventional end milling. "Hard materials are less forgiving, so everything matters more when it comes to the milling process," says Bill Fiorenza, product manager at mgersoll Cuttings Tools. "Also, tool life is a bigger factor in overall process economics. Minimizing stoppage time for indexing can often save more machining money than ramping up the feedrate."
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