Function

The main function of the cutter head is to efficiently remove the excess material from the workpiece, enabling the machining of various shapes such as planes, sides, contours, and grooves. With the strong power support of the gantry milling machine, it can carry out heavy-duty cutting operations, meeting the processing requirements of large and heavy workpieces. It is widely applied in numerous fields including machinery manufacturing, aerospace, automotive manufacturing, mold manufacturing, etc.

Classification

Classification by Cutting Method

• Face Milling Cutter Head: It is suitable for machining planes. Its cutting teeth are distributed on the circumference and end face of the cutter head. It can be classified into two types: coarse-tooth and fine-tooth. The coarse-tooth face milling cutter head has fewer teeth, with high tooth strength and a large chip space. It is suitable for rough machining, capable of quickly removing a large amount of material. The fine-tooth face milling cutter head is suitable for finishing machining and can achieve a better surface quality.
• End Milling Cutter Head: It is mainly used for machining the sides, contours, and grooves of workpieces. The inserts are generally installed on the side or end face of the cutter head. The cutting edges are perpendicular or at a certain angle to the workpiece surface. It can perform axial and radial cutting movements, enabling the machining of various complex shapes.

Classification by Insert Fixing Method

• Mechanically Clamped Cutter Head: The inserts are clamped on the cutter head through mechanical devices such as screws and pressure plates. This type of cutter head has a large clamping force, and the inserts are firmly installed. It can withstand the large cutting forces generated during high-speed cutting and heavy-duty machining. However, replacing the inserts is relatively troublesome, requiring tools for disassembly and installation.
• Welded Cutter Head: The inserts are directly welded to the cutter head. This type of cutter head has a simple structure and a relatively low cost. It is often used for some simple-shaped tools and small-batch production. However, once the insert is worn, the entire cutter head needs to be replaced as the insert cannot be replaced individually, resulting in a relatively high usage cost.
• Indexable Cutter Head: The inserts are installed on the cutter head through tool holders. When one cutting edge is worn, the insert can be rotated or replaced with a new insert for continued use. This type of cutter head is highly economical and efficient, reducing the number of tool replacements and downtime, thus improving the processing efficiency.

Structural Features

• High Rigidity and Stability: The cutter head of a gantry milling machine usually has a relatively large size and mass to ensure that it can withstand large cutting forces during the machining process, reducing vibration and deformation. The structural design of the cutter head emphasizes rigidity. High-strength materials and reasonable strengthening structures, such as thick cutter bodies and reinforcing ribs, are employed. This enables it to maintain a stable working state during high-speed rotation and heavy cutting, thereby ensuring machining accuracy.
• Precise Insert Installation and Positioning: To ensure cutting accuracy, the installation positions of the inserts on the cutter head have extremely high precision requirements. The tool holders or clamping devices can accurately position the inserts, ensuring that the cutting edges of the inserts maintain a consistent position accuracy during rotation. This enables precise machining of the workpiece. Some advanced cutter heads are also equipped with fine-tuning mechanisms that can fine-tune the positions of the inserts, further improving the machining accuracy.
• Good Chip Removal Performance: A large number of chips are generated during the milling process, and the design of the cutter head needs to take chip removal into account. Usually, chip removal grooves or channels are provided on the cutter head to allow the chips to be smoothly discharged. This prevents chips from accumulating between the cutter head and the workpiece, which could affect the machining quality and the service life of the tool. Good chip removal performance also helps to improve the processing efficiency and reduce issues such as tool wear and workpiece surface scratches caused by poor chip removal.