What Is a Side Cutter?
A Side Cutter is a type of cutting tool used on a machine tool. It has cutting edges on the outer circumference and both sides, and is also called a side milling cutter.
In addition to regular blades, there are other blade shapes such as rough blades and staggered blades. Metal saws are similar to side cutters, but they have cutting edges only on the outer circumference, and their blade shapes include regular and rough edges.
Side Cutters are used for machining flat surfaces, slots, and other shapes. These cutting machines are also suitable for machining edges and corners. They are used not only for metalworking but also for cutting wood and plastics. They are also used in various manufacturing fields such as automobiles, aircraft, and home appliances, and are indispensable for determining the shape of products.
Uses of Side Cutters
Side Cutters are used as cutting tools for groove cutting, step cutting, side cutting, width determination, and grooving. Since side cutters have cutting edges on both sides, the width dimension of the cutting edge is the largest, and the main body of the cutter is smaller than that of a metal saw.
The width of the cutting edge is smaller than that of the metal saw, and the thin width of the main body allows the sides of the groove to be finished cleanly without the sides of the main body rubbing against the sides of the workpiece, even when the depth of cut is large. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for groove machining.
It is also used in industrial machines, where a high-speed rotating blade can cut materials. They may be equipped with a device to hold the material in place and an automatic feeder.
Widely used for processing metals and plastics, side cutters play an important role in the manufacturing and construction industries.
Principle of Side Cutter
Side Cutters hook the material to the blade and cuts the material with the rotating blade. Mainly used as a manual tool, the side cutter holds the material to be cut by gripping the handle, and cuts it by hooking the blade onto the material and rotating it.
The blade is angled to cut the material, and clean cutting is possible by applying the appropriate force to the material.
Types of Side Cutters
There are three types of side cutters: Down Cutter, Up Cutter, and Flywheel.
Side Cutters have common properties that the cutter size, pitch, and position are selected so that at least one cutting edge always bites into the cutting area.
1. Down Cutting
The jig and arbor support must be strong enough to withstand the resistance of the milling process. The most recommended machining method is the downcut method, which prevents the workpiece from being forced downward toward the table by the principal force. The downward force causes the feed direction to be in the same direction as the cutting resistance.
2. Upcut
Upcut is an alternative machining method for cases where insufficient rigidity causes problems or when machining new work material. This method can be used to solve problems caused by insufficient rigidity of the setup or by chip jamming in deep grooves.
3. Flywheel
Flywheel is an excellent complementary machining method for cases with insufficient setup rigidity and low machine power and torque. The best solution is to install the flywheel as close to the tool as possible and to mount the workpiece more securely.