The lollipop ball end mill (also known as a lollipop milling cutter or spherical milling cutter) is a specially designed industrial tool, and its name comes from its spherical cutter head structure that resembles a lollipop. It has unique advantages in many industrial processing scenarios, especially in complex shape processing and efficient cutting. The following is a comprehensive analysis of its main application scenarios and characteristics:
1. Complex cavity forming and chamfering
The spherical cutter head design of the lollipop ball end mill makes it particularly suitable for processing complex curved surfaces, arc chamfers and formed contours. For example: Mold manufacturing: used to process curved surface structures in molds to ensure high surface finish and reduce the need for subsequent polishing. Deep groove and side wall processing: Its slender shank and spherical cutter head structure can penetrate into narrow spaces, suitable for side milling grooving, deep groove processing and side wall chamfering to avoid tool interference.
2. Precision hole expansion and deep hole processing
The patented “lollipop hole expansion milling cutter” of Changzhou Zhiyu Cemented Carbide Tools Co., Ltd. is designed to solve the problem of small reserved hole processing: Efficient hole expansion: The spherical cutter head can complete the hole expansion in one time, reducing the tediousness of traditional multi-tool switching, which is especially suitable for precision fields such as aviation parts. Deep hole processing: The design of the cutter head diameter decreasing from the middle to the two sides optimizes the cutting efficiency and is suitable for the processing needs of deeper holes.
3. Efficient processing of non-ferrous metals
The lollipop ball end mills excel in the processing of non-ferrous metals such as aluminum and copper: Aluminum alloy processing: For example, the HAIMER MILL Alu series of cutters adopt special coatings and polished chip grooves, which are suitable for high-speed cutting of aluminum and have both roughing and finishing functions. Adaptation to high cutting parameters: The optimized helix angle and dynamic balance design (runout accuracy <5μm) ensure processing stability and reduce vibration and wear.
4. Efficient compensation application in CNC programming
In manual or CNC programming, the lollipop ball end mill simplifies complex surface processing by adjusting the compensation value: Compensation correction: By calculating the radius and axial difference between the ball end and the end mill, the compensation value can be adjusted and used directly in programming, reducing the number of trial cuts and improving efficiency.
5. Adaptability optimization for special scenarios
Tool life and cost control: Domestically produced carbide lollipop milling cutters (such as Jiangsu Guoren’s products) have a 30% longer life and a 70% lower cost, making them suitable for mass production. High-temperature material processing: Coating technology (such as special coatings for wear-resistant aluminum alloys) is used to enhance heat resistance, making them suitable for processing high-temperature alloys or heat-treated materials.
6. Differences from other ball end mills
Compared with traditional ball end mills, the lollipop ball end mills focus more on lateral cutting capability and adaptability to deep cavity processing. The tool bar structure design (such as reduced neck diameter) can avoid collisions during processing and is suitable for processing complex geometric shapes.
7. Summary
The core advantages of the lollipop ball end milling cutter are the efficient forming of complex shapes, the precise processing of deep cavities/side walls, and the high-speed cutting of non-ferrous metals. It is widely used in mold manufacturing, aerospace, precision machinery and other fields. When selecting, it is necessary to combine the material properties (such as hardness, thermal conductivity), processing depth and precision requirements, and pay attention to the coating technology and dynamic balance performance of the tool.
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