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Slide 2 Syntactic Foam for Plug Assist Module 3 Slide 3 Agenda Processing HYTAC Syntactic Foam A Best Practice Guide to CNC Milling HYTAC Syntactic Foam Slide 4 Machining Syntactic Foam is Different Most machining experience relates to wood or metal Syntactic foam is a combination of hollow glass microspheres bound together by epoxy, copolymer blends or thermoplastic materials It is not like wood or metal It requires a different approach Slide 5 General Machining Guidelines Syntactic foam behaves like plastic during machining Big chips are better than small chips Controlling the heat of the cutting tool is critical Start a conversation with your tool vendor Slide 6 Goal: Consistent Surface Finish Feed rate = chip load x spindle RPM x # flutes Remove the largest chip possible as quickly as possible Avoid heat build-up in the tool Slide 7 Where to Start: Milling Tools 2 flute Straight Z Solid Carbide or PCD Good for rapid removal of large amounts of material Reasonable floor finish Climb milling generally required Generally must be ramped 2 flute upcut spiral Solid Carbide Good for rapid removal of large amounts of material Excellent floor finish Conventional milling recommended May be ramped or plunged 2 flute Ball Solid Carbide Excellent finish for contoured surfaces Conventional milling recommended Slide 8 Conventional vs. Climb Milling Slide 9 Optimizing & Refining the Process 1.Increase feed rate until part finish begins to deteriorate 2.Reduce rate by 10% to get starting point 3.Decrease RPM by set increment until surface finish begins to deteriorate 4.Increase speed back to last good RPM where results were satisfactory Slide 10 Optimizing & Refining the Process Coolant not required Pay attention to proper settings Keep tool at room temperature Thermoset Epoxy Syntactics Very Dusty (HYTAC-W, WF, WFT) Copolymer Syntactics Small shavings/curls (HYTAC-FLX, FLXT, C1R) Thermoplastic Syntactics Large shavings/curls (HYTAC-XTL or B1X) Slide 11 Machining: Best Practices 1.Use sharp tools for abrasive plastics 2.Keep heat out of the tool 3.Understand the variables 4.Refine the process Slide 12 Online Resources http://www.cmtmaterials.com/machining-guides/ Slide 13 End of Module 3 conor.c@cmtmaterials.com +1 508 226 3901