Speeds & Feeds

D Speeds & Feeds

Cutting speeds depend on many factors, including material properties, tool Drill Cycle
Speeds
diameter, depth of cut, machine rigidity and setup rigidity.

Mastercam has built in material libraries that recommend speeds and

feeds. It also includes a speed and feed calculator. You can manually
calculate speeds and feeds using the formulas and data below. Tooling
suppliers are also excellent sources of speeds and feeds data.

Drilling & Reaming Surface Feet per Minute (SFM)

Material Drilling Reaming Counterbore
Steel, 1018 90 65 45
Steel, 4140 80 60 40
Steel, 4340 60 45 30
Stainless Steel, 303 100 50 50
Stainless Steel, 304 50 35 25
Aluminum, 6061-T6 250 300 125
Wood 240 - 120
Plastic 300 180 150
Polycarbonate 240 160 120

Use the following formula to calculate drill speeds:

SFM x 4
Speed =
Cutter Diameter

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Mastercam Handbook Volume 1
 Appendix D

For example, to calculate the speed for a ¼” HSS drill in Aluminum:

Example Solution
Operation Drilling
Material Aluminum 6061-T6
Tool .25 HSS Twist Drill
SFM 250

Test you knowledge by calculating cutting speed for the following:

Try It Solution
Operation Drilling
Material Stainless Steel, 303
Tool .201 HSS Twist
Drill
Try It SFM

D-2 Mastercam X2
 Speeds & Feeds

Drill cycle feeds are calculated using the following formulas: Drill Cycle
Feeds

Drill Feed
Drill Diameter Feed (IPR)
Under .125 .001-.002
.125 - .25 .002-.004
.25 - .50 .004-.007
.50 – 1.00 .007-.015

Counterbore Feed
Counterbore Diameter Feed (IPR)
.375 .004
.625 .005
.875 .006

Reamer Feed
Reamer Diameter Feed (IPR)
Under .125 .003-.006
.125 - .25 .005-.009
.25 - .375 .007-.012
.375 - .50 .010-.015
.50 - .75 .015-.031

Tap Feed
Tap Feed = Speed / Threads per inch

Use the following formula to calculate drilling cycle feeds (except taps):

Feed = Speed x IPR

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Mastercam Handbook Volume 1
 Appendix D

Example Solution
Operation Drilling
Material Aluminum 6061-T6
Tool .25 HSS Twist Drill
Speed 4,000
IPR .004

Try It Solution
Operation Reaming
Material Aluminum 6061-T6
Try It
Tool .25 Reamer
Speed
IPR

Try It Solution
Operation Tapping
Material Aluminum 6061-T6
Try It
Tool ¼-20 Tap
Speed
IPR

D-4 Mastercam X2
 Speeds & Feeds

Cutting speeds depend on many factors, including the material properties, Contour/
tool diameter, machine and setup rigidity and more. Mastercam has a Pocket
Speeds
built in speeds and feeds calculator and material library, or you can use the
data and formulas below to manually calculate speeds and feeds.

If the resulting speed exceeds the machine limit, use the machine max
spindle speed in the feed calculation.

Contour/Pocket Machining Surface Feet per Minute (SFM)

Material HSS Carbide
Steel, 1018 180 550
Steel, 4140 120 450
Steel, 4340 120 450
Stainless Steel, 303 175 450
Stainless Steel, 304 110 360
Aluminum, 6061-T6 800 1300
Wood 400 2250
Plastic 300 400
Polycarbonate 400 600

Use the following formula to calculate cutting speed:

SFM x 4
Speed =
Cutter Diameter

Example: Solution:
Operation 2D Contour
Material Aluminum 6061-T6
Tool .5 Carbide End Mill
SFM 1300
Max Spindle
Speed = 10,000

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Mastercam Handbook Volume 1
 Appendix D

Contour/ Contour feeds use the number of cutting flutes, cutting speed and chip
Pocket
Feeds
load. Chip load is the amount of material removed with each swipe of the
cutting flute.

Contour/Pocket Machining Chip Load (IPR)

Material 1/8” End 1” End Mill
Mill
Steel, 1018 .0007 .005
Steel, 4140 .0005 .003
Steel, 4340 .0003 .002
Stainless Steel, 303 .001 .003
Stainless Steel, 304 .001 .004
Aluminum, 6061-T6 .003 .009
Wood .005 .010
Plastic .001 .003
Polycarbonate .001 .003

Use the following formula to calculate contour feeds:

Feed = Number of Flutes x Speed x IPR

Example: Solution:
Operation 2D Contour Rough
Material Aluminum 6061-T6
Tool .5 Carbide End Mill
2 Flutes
Speed 10,000
IPR .005

The information here should be considered as a starting point only. For

long or small diameters, reduce speeds and feeds by up to 75% to reduce
tool chatter or breakage.

Reduce feeds when the setup lacks rigidity, when a better surface finish is
required, or in cases of tool chip or breakage.

D-6 Mastercam X2