Rough milling VS. Finish milling

1.Processing accuracy

The processing accuracy of rough milling and finish milling has a great difference. Rough milling is usually used to process large size or thickness of the workpiece, the processing process to remove a large number of materials, so the processing accuracy is relatively low, the error is relatively large. The finish milling is a high-precision processing method, mainly used for machining the workpiece with high precision requirements, and the error is controlled within 0.01mm.

2.Surface finish

Surface finish is also a difference between rough and finish milling. Rough milling will leave obvious knife marks and burrs, the surface is relatively rough, and subsequent treatment such as grinding is needed to achieve the required surface finish. The finish milling process can make the surface of the workpiece smooth and smooth, and the surface finish can reach Ra0.2μm under normal circumstances.

3.Processing time

The time spent on rough and finish milling is also different. Rough milling needs to remove a large amount of material, so the processing time is relatively long. The finish milling is through some advanced technology and equipment to achieve efficient processing, so the processing time is relatively short.

In summary, the difference between rough milling and finish milling mainly lies in processing accuracy, surface finish and processing time. Under normal circumstances, large size and thicker workpieces need to be rough milling, while smaller size and high-precision workpieces need to be fine milling. In the actual production, choosing the appropriate processing mode can effectively improve the processing efficiency and processing quality.

Rough milling and finish milling are two different stages in the milling process, their main differences are the purpose of the machining, the amount of cutting, the surface quality and the requirements of the tool and machine tool used.

Rough milling: 

1.The goal is to remove most of the excess material on the workpiece in a relatively short time. 

2.Adopt large cutting depth and feed rate to reduce processing time and improve material removal rate. 

3. The requirements for the surface quality of the workpiece are not high, mainly focusing on the tool strength, chip space and heat dissipation.

Finish milling: 

1.The purpose is to improve the dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the workpiece. 

2.Use high precision, good rigidity machine tools and fine sharpening tools, as well as small cutting depth and feed. 

3.Mainly focus on the surface quality of the workpiece, rather than the amount of metal removal, in order to obtain high-precision machining results.

In the machining process, rough milling is usually used as a pre-treatment step to remove most of the blank margin, while finish milling completes the final size control and surface finish requirements. Semi-finishing is located between the two, which is used to control the margin of finishing and ensure the smooth progress of the processing process.