A milling cutter is essentially a cluster of single-point cutting tools. The key components include the cutting edge, face, fluting, and body. The teeth can be straight (parallel to the axis of rotation) or helical in shape, as depicted in the figure of a plain milling cutter.
plain milling cutter Elements
- Body: Main frame supporting teeth.
- Periphery: Cutting edges locus.
- Cutting Edge: Touches workpiece during cutting; intersection of face and tooth flank.
- Fillet: Where teeth join; reinforces cutting tooth.
- Face of Teeth: Surface forming chip during cutting; can be curved or flat.
- Back of Tooth: Formed by fillet and secondary clearance angle.
- Land: Narrow surface on tooth back, result of clearance angle.
- Bottom Land: Space between consecutive teeth.
- Root Diameter: Passes through center, joining periphery ends.
- Root Diameter (Bottom Fillet): Passes through center, joining bottom fillet ends.
- Lip Angle: Between teeth face and land.
- Relief Angle: Between tangent at cutter’s outside diameter and tooth land; prevents interference with work surface.
- Radial Rake Angle: Angle between teeth face and radial line at cutting edge is called as Radial Rake Angle.
- Axial Rake Angle: Angle between peripheral cutting edge line and cutter axis.
- Clearance Angle: Between back of tooth and tangent at cutting edge; primary and secondary types.