MILLING TOOL

Abstract

A milling tool for milling and/or drilling workpieces, which is rotatable in a direction of rotation about an axis of rotation during machining, comprising a milling head, which has a radius cutter that describes a portion in the form of a circular arc such that the milling head takes up a partially spherical, in particular a hemispherical volume, in rotation, a main body, which has a main feature in the form of a helical recess with respect to the rotation volume taken up by the rotating milling tool in order to form a conveying helix, wherein the main feature is provided with a cutting edge as main cutter, wherein the main feature has a smooth lateral surface arranged on the side facing away from the main cutter in the direction of rotation.

Claims

1. A milling tool for milling and/or drilling workpieces, which is rotatable in a direction of rotation about an axis of rotation during machining, comprising: a milling head, which has a radius cutter in the form of a circular arc such that the milling head takes up a partially spherical volume in rotation; and a main body, which has a main feature in the form of a helical recess with respect to the volume taken up by the rotating milling tool in order to form a conveying helix, wherein the main feature is provided with a cutting edge as a main cutter, wherein the main feature has a smooth lateral surface arranged on the side facing away from the main cutter in the direction of rotation.

2. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radius cutter transitions into the main cutter.

3. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lateral surface extends parallel to the axis of rotation, and/or wherein the main cutter extends at least partially on the lateral surface of a cylinder.

4. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lateral surface extends in an inclined manner with respect to the axis of rotation, and wherein the lateral surface encloses an angle of between 0 and at most 20, inclusive, with the axis of rotation.

5. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the surface of the volume taken up by the rotating milling tool is inclined with respect to the axis of rotation and extends parallel to the lateral surface to enclose an angle of between 0 and at most 20, inclusive, with the axis of rotation.

6. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one flank arranged behind the main cutter and/or the radius cutter in the direction of rotation.

7. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least two chip spaces arranged behind the radius cutter in the direction of rotation.

8. The milling tool as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least one of the chip spaces has a planar surface and/or a surface that is curved away from the axis of rotation.

9. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radius cutter transitions into the main cutter smoothly.

10. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the milling head extends from the main body and/or the main body extends from the shank and/or the main cutter extends from the main body by an undercut.

11. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion of the main body has a conically extending lateral surface is adjoined by a cylindrical portion, and the main feature ends in front of the cylindrical portion or transitions into the cylindrical portion.

12. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, wherein the milling head takes up a hemispherical volume.

13. The milling tool as claimed in claim 3, wherein the main cutter extends entirely on the lateral surface of a cylinder.

14. The milling tool as claimed in claim 4, wherein the lateral surface extends with respect to the axis of rotation conically with a decreasing cross section toward the milling head.

15. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, further comprising two flanks arranged behind the main cutter and/or the radius cutter in the direction of rotation.

16. The milling tool as claimed in claim 1, further comprising three chip spaces arranged behind the radius cutter in the direction of rotation.

Description

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

[0025] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following text with further details and advantages being given.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a milling tool according to the present invention; and

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a plan view along the axis of rotation of the milling head of the milling tool from FIG. 1, counter to the feed direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a milling tool 1 having a milling head 2, a main body 3, and a cylindrical portion as shank 4. Located on the milling head 2 is a radius cutter 5, which transitions into a main cutter 6 of the main feature in the region of the main body 3. Both the radius cutter 5 and the main cutter 6 are accompanied by in each case two flanks 7, 8, which extend parallel to the respective cutters 5, 6. Furthermore, arranged behind the radius cutter 5 in the direction of rotation R are three chip spaces 9, 10, 11, the surfaces of which are in part planar or curved away from the axis of rotation A. Thus, when the milling tool 1 is in contact with a workpiece in the region of the milling head 2, it exhibits less friction in the region adjoining the radius cutter 5.

[0029] Located behind the radius cutter 5 and the flanks 7, 8 in the direction of rotation R is the lateral surface 12, which is formed in a smooth manner. The lateral surface 12 is set back behind the cutters 5, 6 in its distance from the axis of rotation A, and is thus located closer to the axis of rotation A than the cutters 5, 6. The rotation volume 13 is thus determined, in terms of its outer limits, or its surface, by the profile of the cutters 5, 6. Therefore, in the region of the milling head 2, a hemispherical region can be removed from the workpiece to be machined. The outer edge 14 of the lateral surface 12 extends in an inclined manner with respect to the axis of rotation A, wherein the cross sectional area of the milling tool 1, as is also discernible from the body of the rotation volume 13, increases toward the shank 4.

[0030] However, the main feature and the main cutter 6 do not pass along the entire main body 3, but end at the point B. The remaining region of the main body 3, which is located beneath the point B toward the shank 4, is formed in a smooth manner. The main feature and the main cutter 6 end, in FIG. 1, above the point B toward the milling head 2, or in that part of the main body 3 that is remote from the shank 4.

[0031] The main feature has a clearance 15 beneath the cutter 6, which serves to transport away removed chips or removed material from the workpiece to be machined.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the same milling tool 1 in plan view looking along the axis of rotation A, specifically counter to the feed direction V. If the milling tool 1 is in rotation, the radius cutter 5 meets the workpiece first. Upon further rotation of the milling tool 1, the flanks 7, 8 then follow and then the three chip spaces 9, 10, 11.

[0033] Perpendicularly to the axis of rotation A there extend two axes M, N, which each intersect the axis of rotation A. The axes M and N in turn extend perpendicularly to one another. As regards the rotation volume of the milling tool 1, the axes M, N each form axes of symmetry. In its upper region (remote from the shank 4), the radius cutter 5 is arranged in a manner offset laterally (to the left in FIG. 2) with respect to the central axis M, such that a greater force action or a greater torque can be exerted on the workpiece, since, as a result of the offset with respect to the central axis M or to the axis of rotation A, a greater lever can act. The highest point H in the feed direction V is achieved by the radius cutter in the form of a circular arc at the intersection point with the central axis N; subsequently, the radius cutter 5 extends counter to the feed direction V toward the chip space 11. On account of this arrangement, the central axis M is only intersected by the radius cutter 5 in the further course toward the transition into the main cutter 6 at the point K.

[0034] The main cutter 6 stands slightly proud of the main body 3 in its course by an undercut in the end region of the main feature. In this way, the actual cutting region stands proud of or is spatially separated from the rest of the milling tool 1 even more.

[0035] A common feature of all exemplary embodiments and developments of the present invention is that the main feature has a smooth lateral surface arranged on the side facing away from the main cutter in the direction of rotation.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0036] 1 Milling tool [0037] 2 Milling head [0038] 3 Main body [0039] 4 Shank [0040] 5 Radius cutter [0041] 6 Main cutter [0042] 7 Flank [0043] 8 Flank [0044] 9 Chip space [0045] 10 Chip space [0046] 11 Chip space [0047] 12 Lateral surface [0048] 13 Rotation volume [0049] 14 Outer edge [0050] 15 Clearance [0051] 16 Undercut [0052] A Axis of rotation [0053] B End point of the main feature [0054] K Intersection point [0055] M Axis of symmetry [0056] N Axis of symmetry [0057] R Direction of rotation [0058] V Feed direction