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Milling Cutter- Rake Angles

Recommended Rake Angles for Milling Cutters

The radial rake angle of an arbor hole style milling cutter or slitting saw is the angle between the tooth face and a radial line passing through the cutting edge in a plane perpendicular to the cutter axis that the tooth sits at relative to the center of a milling cutter.  It can be positive or negative.  This angle is important because different materials machine better at different rake angles all other things being equal.

Below is a diagram showing how the rake angle of a milling cutter is measured.

Below are some general recommendations for rake angles when machining certain materials:

CLASS OF MATERIALSMATERIAL EXAMPLESRECOMMENDED RADIAL RAKE ANGLE
NON-FERROUS (SOFT)ALUMINUM ALLOY – WROUGHT10°
MAGNESIUM ALLOY
LEAD ALLOY
NON-METAL AND PLASTIC
ZINC ALLOY – DIE CAST
NON-FERROUS (HARD)ALUMINUM BRONZE5 to 10°
BRASS ALLOY – LEADED AND FREE CUTTING
NICKEL SILVER
COPPER ALLOY – TOUGH
CAST IRONDUCTILE CAST IRON – AUSTENITIC
DUCTILE CAST IRON – FERRITIC
DUCTILE CAST IRON – MARTENSITIC
GRAY – PEARLITIC
GRAY – FERRITIC
MALLEABLE CAST IRON – MARTENSITIC
LOW CARBON STEELSLOW AND MEDIUM CARBON STEEL – FREE MACHINING0° to 3°
LOW AND MEDIUM CARBON STEEL – WROUGHT
MEDIUM STRENGTH STEELSLOW AND MEDIUM CARBON ALLOY STEEL – FREE MACHINING0° to 3°
LOW AND MEDIUM CARBON  ALLOY STEEL
STAINLESS STEEL – 400 SERIES3° to 5°
STAINLESS STEEL – 400 SERIES FREE MACHINING
HIGH STRENGTH STEELSHIGH STRENGTH STEEL – WROUGHT & TOOL STEEL0° to 3°
HIGH TEMP ALLOYSHIGH TEMP ALLOYS – NICKEL & IRON BASE ALLOY
STAINLESS STEEL – 300 SERIES
STAINLESS STEEL – PH SERIES
TITANIUM ALLOY

Every application is unique so it is best to check with the manufacturer of your cutting tool to help determine the appropriate cutter (and rake angle) for your application.

If you have any questions about rake angles (or any other cutting tool questions) feel free to leave us a comment here on our blog or fill out the form on Super Tool’s Contact Us Page.

Bryan Enander
Super Tool, Inc
941-751-9677