A rotary cutting tool includes a shaft having and outer surface and having a longitudinal axis, a plurality of helical flutes formed in the shaft about the longitudinal axis, a plurality of helical cutting edges formed at an interface with the outer surface and a respective helical flute about the longitudinal axis, and a plurality of end cutting edges located on an axial distal end of a cutting portion of the shaft, the end cutting edges being contiguous with a corresponding one of the plurality of helical cutting edges and forming a corner in the transition between each of the end cutting edges and the corresponding one of the plurality of helical cutting edges. A hone edge extends along a portion of each of the end cutting edges, the associated corner and a portion of the corresponding one of the plurality of helical cutting edges.

A milling cutter includes a shank and a cutting head attached to the shank. The cutting head has a plurality of helical teeth, each tooth including a cutting tip, a leading face and a rear face. A flute is defined between the leading face of a trailing tooth, and a rear face of an immediately preceding tooth. A gully of the flute has a flute base with a portion that is planar or convex in profile to provide additional volume for effective chip evacuation. A method for manufacturing the milling cutter includes rotating a cylindrical blank about its own longitudinal axis, rotating a disc-shaped flute grinding wheel) about a rotational axis of a flute wheel and moving the grinding wheel in a longitudinal direction so as to form the helical flute with the gully having the flute base with the planar or convex portion in profile.

A rotary cutting tool includes a cutter body having a plurality of insert-receiving pockets. Each pocket includes a bottom support surface, an axial support surface, a radial support surface, a top clearance surface and an intermediate clearance surface extending between the axial support surface and the top clearance surface. A cutting insert includes a helical top surface, a helical side surface, a side surface opposite the helical side surface, a pair of opposed side walls, a bottom surface, and a cutting edge formed at an intersection between the helical top surface and the helical side surface. The cutting insert further includes an undercut for accommodating the axial support surface, the top clearance surface and the intermediate clearance surface of the pocket when the cutting insert is mounted in the pocket.

A rotary cutting tool includes a cutter body having a plurality of insert-receiving pockets. Each pocket includes a bottom support surface, an axial support surface, a radial support surface, a top clearance surface and an intermediate clearance surface extending between the axial support surface and the top clearance surface. A cutting insert includes a helical top surface, a helical side surface, a side surface opposite the helical side surface, a pair of opposed side walls, a bottom surface, and a cutting edge formed at an intersection between the helical top surface and the helical side surface. The cutting insert further includes an undercut for accommodating the axial support surface, the top clearance surface and the intermediate clearance surface of the pocket when the cutting insert is mounted in the pocket.

A method for machining small rotary cutting tools by a grinding machine, comprising: a) mounting a workpiece in a spindle of the grinding machine; b) machining a calibration portion of the workpiece by performing one or a plurality of marks on said workpiece with one abrasive wheel or with a corresponding plurality of abrasive wheels of different shapes, wherein said one mark or each mark comprises at least one geometrical feature and two position features corresponding respectively to a geometrical feature and to 3D coordinates of the corresponding abrasive wheel, in a X-Y-Z coordinate system of the grinding machine, that has ground the corresponding mark c) performing measurements of said at least one geometrical feature and said two position features of said one mark or each mark of the calibration portion d) generating a sequence of instructions based on said at least one geometrical feature and on said two position features of said one mark or each mark as measured under step c) to grind said workpiece to the final and desired shape of the cutting tool and e) controlling the 3D coordinates of said one or more abrasive wheels in said X-Y Z coordinate system during grinding operations on the workpiece or on another workpiece according to said sequence of instructions to obtain said cutting tool.

A method for machining small rotary cutting tools by a grinding machine, comprising: a) mounting a workpiece in a spindle of the grinding machine; b) machining a calibration portion of the workpiece by performing one or a plurality of marks on said workpiece with one abrasive wheel or with a corresponding plurality of abrasive wheels of different shapes, wherein said one mark or each mark comprises at least one geometrical feature and two position features corresponding respectively to a geometrical feature and to 3D coordinates of the corresponding abrasive wheel, in a X-Y-Z coordinate system of the grinding machine, that has ground the corresponding mark c) performing measurements of said at least one geometrical feature and said two position features of said one mark or each mark of the calibration portion d) generating a sequence of instructions based on said at least one geometrical feature and on said two position features of said one mark or each mark as measured under step c) to grind said workpiece to the final and desired shape of the cutting tool and e) controlling the 3D coordinates of said one or more abrasive wheels in said X-Y Z coordinate system during grinding operations on the workpiece or on another workpiece according to said sequence of instructions to obtain said cutting tool.