Prediction of surface roughness based on fused features and ISSA-DBN in

If it’s a very shallow “depth of part,” the machinist will not get the economy of the end mill and high speed and will experience a lot of excess vibration. The reason is if a shop runs a shallow axial depth of cut, it reduces MRR and the operation may not be as efficient as other methods with larger radial and shallower axial stepovers.

The ECP-H7-CF multi-flute (seven flutes) end mill has a hard substrate, IC902 ultra-fine carbide grade with 9 percent cobalt, and is TiAlN PVD coated. It is suitable for machining various materials, including hard steel and cast iron, at high cutting speeds, according to Iscar.

The goal is to maximize flute length because that’s what will provide the best MRR in combination with 5 and 10 percent stepovers. Another way to determine tool selection is to decide whether to simply switch to high-feed milling and ramp in with a conventional end mill and rip the stock out.

The Milwaukee 2904-20 brushless hammer drill has 1,400 inch-pounds of torque. More importantly, however, it optimizes that torque for speed. This is one of only a few drills that can drive a 2-9/16″ wood boring bit at High speed. That means you gain some serious productivity during rough-ins. It also now features AutoStop technology. That stops the drill during a bind-up event before it damages your wrist.

He also noted that the trend in titanium alloys and exotics machining in the last four or five years is toward high-speed machining for medium to large parts because the cost of removing titanium or Inconel is much higher than that of aluminum or steel.

Each year, we bring in and review more than 250 individual products. Our team will put our hands on hundreds of additional tools at media events and trade shows throughout the year.

We work with more than two dozen professional contractors around the United States who review products for us on real jobsites and consult with us on testing methods, categories, and weighting.

“Finishing is typically done with a 45o helix end mill for hardened materials up to 65 HRC because the higher helix angle shears the material more effectively,” he said. “End mills with a 60o helix angle are used on nonferrous materials like aluminum and even high-nickel-content alloys in finishing applications. In general, a variable pitch end mill with a 35 to 38o helix angle is the most common we see in the industry because it has a good balance of edge strength and core diameter, and it’s a little bit more up sharp in the cut where it slices through the material more effectively vs a 30o helix end mill.”

That’s not us. We only recommend what we’d actually use, even if we don’t earn a commission from it. It’s all about giving you a legitimate recommendation and our honest opinion of each product.

Unlike the M12 2-tool kit above, I have different thoughts about the best Milwaukee M18 drill kits. The reason has to do with the application. For many Pros starting out, they need to ramp up their system quickly. I see no better way than to purchase a comprehensive Milwaukee starter tool kit. It won’t be cheap, but it gets you up to speed quickly with the tools of the trade.

Horn’s solid-carbide tools with seven or nine flutes with large DOCs and 10-15 percent stepover—as a rule of thumb to start with—help with these strategies, but the machine tool must have the required acceleration and deceleration. An older machine with rapids of 600 ipm will not be sufficient. Similarly, the look-ahead that newer machines have is also required.

“When major OEMs call me in, it’s generally to improve tool life, the process, or both,” Bruhis continued. “It could be a new project with them facing a serious issue. It might be a problem with part quality, or cycle time or delivering parts in time or total cost, but it’s almost never because of the cost of the tool since YG-1 offers a very attractive performance-to-cost package.”

The ECY-S5 end mill with five flutes features a general-purpose substrate and AlTiCrSiN coating (IC608) for shoulder or full slot high-speed milling or trochoidal or peel milling. Its primary application is stainless but it can also be used to machine nickel-based, high-temperature alloys.

Ever check out a “review” site and you can’t tell if they actually tested the tools or if they’re just “recommending” the Amazon top sellers?

“I talk to a lot of people in aerospace and the trend has changed in the last 10 or 15 years,” Bruhis continued. “It’s not the cost of the tool any more. Customers want to know the real cost of metal removal. There are a lot of cases where I meet with engineers or programmers and they clearly voice that they do not care about the price of the tool. Cycle time and tool life are the most important considerations.”

The best cordless drills, like those from Milwaukee Tool, are essential tools for both professionals and homeowners. These versatile tools let you drill holes in a variety of materials like wood, metal, composite, and even drywall. You can use them to hang pictures, run wiring and plumbing, create pilot holes, and complete other projects.

Advanced cutting tools can maximize metal removal rates (MRR) when machining even the most difficult-to-machine materials. Powered by the latest CAM programs, these machining strategies are known variously as high-speed, high-efficiency, optimized roughing and also by proprietary brand names like Mastercam’s Dynamic Milling. Tools such as multi-flute, solid-carbide tools benefit from the latest advanced technologies in machine look-ahead, high-speed spindles, coatings and geometries.

The comfort of each drill’s grip is subjective based on size and does not affect the score. I hold and use each tool with a bare hand to see if there are any uncomfortable seams or other oddities that might affect every user regardless of preferences.

These optimized high-speed and high-efficiency machining strategies are the wave of the future. And they are here today. According to Ball, 80-90 percent of CAM software suppliers have some sort of optimized milling strategy for roughing and 80-90 percent of the major cutting tool manufacturers have some sort of multi-flute products for these strategies.

Milwaukee tools are often best bought as kits. For the most part, I find that the batteries become much more affordable when you get them with some tools. As such, the best Milwaukee drill set could fall into the M12 or M18 category depending on what you need. I also see a difference between a simple 2-tool kit and what I define as a “starter” kit that includes enough tools to launch your career (or perhaps even switch platforms!).

We’ll provide more than 500 pieces of new content this year free for our readers—including objective evaluations of individual tools and products.

Chip-splitting technology reduces the radial tool pressure encountered with long lengths of cut and helps break up the chips, producing more manageable chips for the operator or the chip pan or conveyor to remove, Stusak explained. “The key to machining difficult-to-machine materials is the radial engagement,” he said. “You want to minimize the width of cut or arc of contact to beat the heat.” By minimizing the width of cut, not as much heat transfers into the tool because of the limited amount of cut time on the end mill.

I honestly love that Milwaukee has a solid 12V offering in this category. With that said, I have two great recommendations depending on the power requirements and applications you have in mind.

“In evaluating machining for large aerospace parts, for example, while I’m not a programmer, in most cases I can look at the program and tell what ought to be changed,” said Bruhis. “In the last few years between traveling and working all over the world, if I can’t review the program, I have my customer send a video of the simulation and hold an online meeting to discuss possible program modifications. Through Skype interactions, I do simulations and alter programs constantly.”

The end mills are available in four geometries: barrel-shaped, oval form, taper form and lens shape. Oval and taper form mills are suited for curved shapes such as blades or straight-walled pockets, freely engaging more of the cutting edge. Barrel design mills provide effective flank milling to the sides of spiral grooves and similar applications, according to Emuge. Lens-shaped mills excel in narrow channels or in lands on molds. Specific CAM systems software, such as Mastercam and hyperMILL, are required to support and compute the geometries.

Cycle times for five-axis machining of molds, blades and other complex aerospace and medical parts can be reduced up to 90 percent with Circle Segment solid-carbide end mills, according to Emuge Corp, West Boylston, Mass. While manufacturers performing high-speed machining may be familiar with using traditional ball nose end mills to make small stepover passes, Circle Segment end mills use high stepover passes up to 10 times greater than ball nose end mills to cut out large areas of material, maximizing efficiency and minimizing cusp height.

To check the drilling speed of each tool, Pro Tool Reviews puts them through a series of relevant tests at both high and low speeds. Timed tests help us measure the RPM of a bit under load. This reveals how much of its no-load speed it maintains when truly engaged. The higher the RPMs a drill maintains, the faster the bit moves through the material.

The objective of both high-speed and high-efficiency machining strategies is to improve MRR, according to Yair Bruhis, global product and application manager for YG-1 Tool Co., Vernon Hills, Illinois. High-efficiency machining increases cutting by limiting air cutting time. “Because the two machining strategies are so effective, people want to switch everything towards them,” said Bruhis. “But it all depends on the part and the machining parameters. Sometimes, I can look at the part and state that it can’t be machined with high-efficiency strategies because of the shape and complexity of the part, or the machine’s capabilities, or the part features and programming, among other factors.

I chose the 3497-22 M12 FUEL 2-tool combo kit as our best Milwaukee M12 drill kit. For starters, you can get larger kits—but they all have flaws. Some larger kits toss in a mediocre LED light that drives up the cost while the largest kits add tools you may not need.

With a top speed of 550 RPM, this mixer can mix up to fifteen 5-gallon buckets on a single 5Ah RedLithium battery. Cut the cord and save your standard drill—pick up this tool if you frequently mix materials.

These tools have everything except One-Key, but for most Pros, I think the blend of power and compactness matters most. For around $399 for the kit, you can spend less, but electricians, plumbers, and general contractors should find it a great value. The 5-year tool warranty also helps seal the deal.

Horn’s DSFT end mills—part of the DS line of high-DOC, low-radial-engagement tools—are designed for trochoidal machining. To be effective, DS tools require a solid machine spindle with close runout and a capable controller for programming. CAD programs are available to create simulation of machining time estimates to decide whether traditional end milling or high-speed machining is best. In addition, there are a number of software tools available to evaluate the economics of these tooling decisions.

For wood drilling, I like the Milwaukee Shockwave Titanium Nitride bits. The titanium coats these bits to reduce friction. The advantage is they fly through wood. The downside is you eventually wear away the coating and don’t benefit (as much) from sharpening these when they go dull. These bits also feature a hex shank to use with an impact driver.

Understanding the composition of these materials is key to understanding the limitations with cutting speed. “Workpiece hardness and material composition have a huge bearing on machinability,” he explained. “Nickel-based, cobalt-based, and ferrous-based superalloys have certain alloying elements in them that won’t allow elevating the sfm because you can’t eliminate the heat in the cut no matter what you do with the width of cut or cutting speed. [Cutting speeds have] to stay between 80 to 110 sfm depending on the hardness of the material.”

The idea of a compact drill centers around having a reliable tool that can do 80% of the work of a flagship product. Along the way, you save some weight—and certainly some money. With that definition, I heartily recommend the Milwaukee M18 compact brushless 1/2-inch hammer drill.

“All four of those strategies are essentially the same,” said Stusak. “We have developed multi-flute tools, and specifically a seven-flute tool with chip splitting technology to allow very light widths of cut depending on the length of the flute on the end mill. These strategies actively manage all four of the attributes in the CAM systems—including the radial width of cut, the arc of contact, chip thickness and the feed rate—for optimized performance,” he said.

Expect to pay around $299 for the kit. Lastly, I also like the 5-year warranty—which you’ll see on all my recommended Milwaukee drills.

YG-1 has developed standard tools specifically for high-speed machining of titanium, but about 30 percent of its tools for this application are still custom made, with special lengths and corner radii. “One of the trends with high-speed machining is the increased number of flutes needed to take light cuts and run very fast,” he said. “The trend of the last five years is for five, six, seven and nine flutes,” he said. The advantage is longer tool life and better heat and chip control as well as machining performance.

For drilling in harder metals, check out the Milwaukee Red Helix Cobalt Drill Bits. These bits drill faster than standard 135° split point cobalt bits and feature a Quadedge Tip that reduces heat. Since you can sharpen these bits, they can last a good long time. We LOVE these bits…but hate the case they come in (they are a tad difficult to remove).

If you need a corded drill—perhaps for repetitive steel drilling, the Milwaukee 1107-6 corded 1/2″ D-handle drill. This 7A tool provides up to 500 RPM and can easily handle up to 1/2-inch holes in steel.

Seco Tools has developed specific geometries, coatings, carbide substrates and edge preps for these difficult-to-machine materials. The company’s latest development in coatings is its patented HXT silicon-based coating for higher thermal resistance and abrasion resistance. “What we have found is that these same tools can be used to cut easier-to-machine metals such as tool steels, stainless steels and cast iron. So we’re now able to use these high-efficiency milling strategies to increase tool life and productivity on a broader range of easier-to-machine materials,” said Ball.

He added: “We have started to play a lot more with variable indexes and [helixes] in multi-flute cutting tools because of their potential for more cutting pressure due to increased tool contact with the workpiece. However, it’s necessary to change [helixes], rakes and indexes to vary the geometry in such a way that it breaks up chatter and harmonics and still retains the tool’s ability to cut efficiently.”

“Processing these materials with conventional machining processes tends to work harden them,” he explained. “Using high-efficiency milling and optimized roughing, there is a lot less heat generated because you are taking lighter radial stepovers and depths of cut (DOC), but not putting a lot of heat into the workpiece,” he said. “Where the typical solid-carbide end mill used for roughing and finishing typically had four and five flutes, with high-efficiency milling now taking over the industry we have added six-, seven- and nine-flute tools.”

According to the company, time and cost savings and increased part quality result. Tool life is increased due to shorter toolpaths. Tolerance deviations due to heat warping at the tool are minimized, and axial deviations of the machine are smoothed, offering a higher quality surface finish in a shorter time frame. Circle Segment end mills feature unique forms with large radii in cutting areas of the mills, allowing a larger axial DOC during prefinishing and finishing operations.

It is different with PH stainless, some duplex stainless steels, and titanium alloys where speed can be increased to get more productivity out of the tool. “Duplex stainless steels that have a lot of nickel and chrome content machine more like Inconel materials because of the high nickel content. So, it’s essential in machining high-temperature alloys to understand the alloying elements in them,” he said.

Like other companies contributing to this article, Horn USA Inc., Franklin, Tenn., stresses both the importance of multi-flute tool design and customer collaboration for tooling success. “I would describe us as an engineering-driven company that approaches tooling solutions for its customers with finesse,” said Edwin Tonne, training and technical specialist. Horn, which is well known for its grooving and cut-off turning tools, offers a broad line of products, including solid-carbide end mills, drills, and indexable milling cutters, as well as its turning products. More than 40 percent of its cutting tools are specials. Horn has developed multi-flute end mills used to machine titanium, Inconel, stainless and other high-temperature-resistant metals using high-speed and high-efficiency machining strategies to achieve the highest MRR.

Not every part is a good candidate for high-speed machining. The choice of strategy is a function of the part geometry and size. Some of the testing that’s being seen has been calling for machining Inconel, titanium, and stainless with light depths of cut, high speeds and low radial engagement and feed rates.

With high-temperature-resistant, nickel-based alloys being used more commonly by its customers, Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich., is focused on maximizing metal removal rates using high-speed, high-efficiency optimized roughing strategies, according to Jay Ball, solid-carbide product manager.

He pointed out that while getting material roughed out is difficult and can cause multiple problems, optimized roughing with 6-10 percent maximum radial stepovers is effective on heat-resistant superalloys (HRSA) and titanium. “And you can use these same tools to then finish a lot of these parts as well so you are using more traditional side mill finishing,” he said.

Based on our testing, the 4th-generation Milwaukee 2904 hammer drill steals the show for the best Milwaukee drill overall. My pick comes as a result of several factors. First, it saves $50 over the 2906 with Milwaukee ONE-KEY technology. If you want One-Key, you can certainly grab the more expensive model.

A drill doesn’t do much good without the proper bits. I can make some recommendations on the best Milwaukee drill bits, but it really depends on the material you intend to drill.

Several tools let us test torque. With drills, an inline torque device measures the maximum soft torque a drill can produce when driving a 1/2-inch lag bolt into laminated OSB. Hands-on testing lets us evaluate the drills in multiple gears to determine which models produce the most torque at higher speeds.

My favorite kit is the M18 6-tool combo kit (2696-26). It includes a suite of solid M18 starter tools. You get a hammer drill, impact driver, Full-size Sawzall, 6-1/2-inch circular saw, angle grinder, and LED work light. The price is no joke at $749, but you won’t need much else (except maybe a mid-torque impact wrench) to get up and running. Need more power? You can easily upgrade any of these tools over time to their M18 FUEL counterparts.

Additionally, the ergonomics and handle design of a drill can greatly impact user comfort, and it’s a good idea to try holding different drills in-store to find the one that feels best for you. Most of us prefer certain brands’ handles over others. My advice? See what works best for you.

Starting small and working up, I find the Milwaukee M12 FUEL 3404 hammer drill hard to top. This M12 series hammer drill offers tons of power for its size. Milwaukee released this 3rd-generation tool in 2022, making it even more compact while not sacrificing any power. I tested this tool which puts out 400 in-lbs of torque vs the 350 in-lbs of the 2nd-gen 2504. I also like that Milwaukee Tool continued with the handy belt clip design.

For around $229, this core tool kit gives you exactly what you need to get started. It pairs the latest 3404-20 Gen 3 hammer drill with the excellent 3453-20 Gen 3 impact driver. I hope to eventually see this kit in a Milwaukee Packout case.

The best Milwaukee cordless drills now include additional features such as AutoStop kickback control to protect you against bind-ups. I like their solid clutch settings that help when driving screws into softer materials. Their hammer drills do really well—even in harder materials like concrete and brick. Cordless drills allow for greater mobility and flexibility to work on different projects without the need for a power cord. They’re all but ubiquitous at this point.

Positioned in the middle of the drill and hammer drill lineup, the 3602 delivers up to 550 in-lbs of torque and 1700 RPM. The 1/2-inch metal chuck still delivers the expected Milwaukee quality and the brushless motor gives you excellent runtime and durability.

We’ve been in business since 2008 covering tools, writing reviews, and reporting on industry news in the construction, automotive, and lawn care industries. Our Pro reviewers work in the trades and have the skills and experience to know whether tools can perform well in the field.

The highest MRR possible in high-speed machining with multi-flute tools occurs when the process engages the full flute length of the tool. The more flutes, the larger the core diameter for rigidity. Typically, the first thing to look at when considering high-speed machining is the size of the part and flute length to decide the diameter of the tool, according to Horn. An inch of actual flute length might be handled by a 3/8" (9.5-mm) diameter tool, and two inches of actual flute length by a 5/8" (15.8-mm) diameter tool.

Besides the component, programming strategy and software play into this as well. If a shop is performing high-efficiency or high-speed milling, it must have the horsepower and torque required to drive the tool. If it runs the wrong software, there will be a lot of costly, wasted moves.

Value is more than just the price of the tool. I consider the whole picture of what you get for the price you pay. That includes the performance, feature set, ergonomics, warranty, bare tool price, and kit price.

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Each class of drill has a different amount of muscle. You shouldn’t expect a compact drill to do what a heavy-duty one can. Pro Tool Reviews ensures each bit type and size are within the design intent of the drill being tested. That means smaller self-feed and spade bits for tools not rated the same as flagship models. We also vary the type of fasteners we drive depending on the type of drill.

The following is a consensus report of an interview held with Tonne, Eric Carbone, application and sales engineer; John Kollenbroich, head of product management; and Jeff Shope, application and sales engineer.

If you want enough power to tackle up to 1/4-inch holes in block or brick, but don’t plan on spending all day with your drill, this M12 series tool saves some serious weight. I know several MRO, HVAC, and electrical Pros who choose this line for their primary tools. At $179 for the 2-battery kit, you get a lot of power in a compact package.

Stusak emphasized the benefits of these machining strategies by explaining that the basic principle of metal cutting is forming a chip properly in relationship to edge geometry so that you are shearing the material, not plowing it. Both roughing and finishing benefit from optimized machining strategies, but especially roughing, where machining time can be greatly reduced.

Using a digital scale, the weight of the bare tool is measured along with the tool with the kitted battery installed. Occasionally, a measurement is taken with a premium battery for comparison.

One thing that frustrates those still using corded tools is broken power cords. With the Quik-Lok system, the cord can easily detach from the tool, letting you replace it as needed in the field. This drill costs around $242; you can find it with a right angle attachment as the 3107-6 for around $349.

The ECI-H4S-CFE end mill is a short, four-flute design with different helixes (35o and 37o) and variable pitch for chatter dampening. It can be used for high MRR roughing and finishing, with full slot milling up to 1×D. It is also available with the new AlTiCrSiN IC608 coating for machining at elevated temperatures.

Bruhis described how he evaluates and determines an approach to a titanium machining project. “I typically inquire first about the machine capability, whether three-, four-, or five-axis, vertical or horizontal, fixturing and tooling,” he said. He added that in the majority of cases, specific end mills are selected based on axial or radial cut, speeds and feeds, and programming for high-speed and high-efficiency machining.

The result is information you can trust because of the editorial, scientific, and real-world professional experience we collectively utilize every time we pick up and test a tool.

Performance is my top priority when evaluating drills. Pro Tool Reviews tests in various materials, including concrete, wood, and metal, to gauge a drill’s performance in light and heavy-duty tasks. However, every drill isn’t tested for every possible task, as some drills are not suitable for certain jobs.

Milwaukee Tool makes a ton of drills. Between 12V and 18V, brushed and brushless, corded and cordless—you have a lot to choose from. So how do you pick? When you put your hands on and test over 50 drills a year, you get a feel for who makes the best cordless drill. This article helps you understand how each of the Milwaukee cordless drills fits into their lineup. The best Milwaukee drill for you may be the most powerful, the best value, or the most compact. It just depends on what you plan to do with the tool and what kind of work you want to accomplish.

These machining strategies require more just than the right carbide grade, insert and geometry—the way of approaching the material is also critical. The goal of high-efficiency machining is to reduce the width of cut and increase the length of cut to reduce cutting forces, which allows faster machining. Sometimes it is quicker that way, and sometimes it is quicker using traditional high-feed cutters. Many times with dynamic machining there can be much wasted movement. Applying it depends on the application and complexity of the features, such as pocketing, that are involved.

Removing metal is important, and doing it fast enough to make money is more important. To capitalize on the latest machining strategies for milling difficult-to-machine materials, Iscar Metals Inc., Arlington, Texas, continues to add to its lines of multi-flute, solid-carbide end mills, according to Bryan Stusak, national product manager–milling. Iscar has designed solid-carbide end mills specifically for milling strategies, including high-speed milling, high-efficiency milling, optimized roughing and proprietary CAM strategies like Mastercam’s Dynamic Milling.

My recommendations come after hours of torque and run-time testing and after giving the tools lots of real-world use. I recommend a different Milwaukee drill for the journeyman electrician than I do for someone just starting out in construction. Yet another drill makes sense for the homeowner who wants to use Milwaukee tools. Recommending a single tool for everyone never works. Hopefully, I can help you find the model that gives you the performance, features, ergonomics, and value you need.

Sometimes you don’t need the maximum amount of power. If saving money without sacrificing quality makes sense to you, check out the Milwaukee 2494-22 drill/impact driver kit. This kit gives you a twofer, netting you both drilling and driving capabilities for less than $120. For homeowners, you get enough power, runtime, and speed to tackle most household applications. It also costs significantly less than a single flagship M18 FUEL drill kit—and you get two great tools.

The ECKI-H4R-CF four-flute end mill features corner radii for aerospace applications and either of two coatings, IC300 TiCN or IC900 AlTiN. It offers variable pitch and variable helix and a special edge prep for machining titanium.

Here’s how leading tooling manufacturers are helping customers put these tools to work in machining titanium, nickel-based alloys, superalloys, Inconel and stainless steel.

If you don’t need—and don’t want to pay for—the absolute best Milwaukee offers, you can get a ton of value and performance from this hammer drill. It may be all you need if you work in the MEP, MRO, and similar disciplines. Grab the tool for just $149 or the kit for $219.

The real-world application for this test uses a timed test with a tough application, like driving long ledger screws into stacked OSB. We also test soft torque using an inline torque meter while driving 1/2-inch lag bolts into wood.

The advantage of multi-flute end mills is that operators can take higher feed rates because of the reduction in DOC and stepover with high-temperature, heat-resistant materials. “These metals don’t like to be machined in the conventional way with large DOCs and large radial stepover and slow feed rates,” said Ball. “Multi-flute tools allow increased MRRs without work hardening because you can run faster feed rates and lighter radial stepovers with more teeth.”

Today, drills include many features—some of which I find very helpful. While not all features are necessary, some can help you complete jobs much more quickly. I typically look for the following:

We consult with innovators in the technology and design of tools to gain a broader grasp of where these products fit and how they work.

While many of the newest flagship cordless drills can handle some mixing tasks, I still use a dedicated mixing drill. The best Milwaukee drill for mixing is the 2810 M18 FUEL mud mixer. This tool runs just $219 and delivers the power needed to mix tough materials including concrete and mortar. Paint? Merely a trifle!

Additionally, the PTR Drill Test Track simulates real-world conditions and assesses a drill’s control and ability to handle medium and heavy loads. The test concludes when the drill completes the final, heavy-load task, taking into account any bit changes or human errors.

When he's not playing with the latest power tool, Clint DeBoer enjoys life as a husband, father, and is an avid reader—especially the Bible. He loves Jesus, has a degree in recording engineering, and has been involved in multimedia and/or online publishing in one form or another since 1992.

Aside from the $119 kit price, I named this my best Milwaukee drill for the money primarily because of its immense value. One of the most compact drills in the Milwaukee M12 lineup, it also includes that impact driver for more flexibility and capabilities. While it features a brushed motor, you still get great performance, a full metal chuck, and tools that weigh around 2 pounds before you add one of the included 1.5 Ah batteries.

The Milwaukee 3697-22 M18 FUEL combo kit makes for such a great deal I can’t recommend it enough. This 2-tool kit includes the latest Gen4 M18 Fuel hammer drill and Milwaukee M18 impact driver. It also tosses in a pair of XC5.0 Ah battery packs and an M18/M12 Rapid Charger.

Pro Tool Reviews is a successful online publication that has been providing tool reviews and industry news since 2008. In today’s world of Internet news and online content, we found that more and more professionals researched a large majority of their major power tool purchases online. That piqued our interest.

Cutter paths vary and can include profiling, slotting, and pocketing. Workpieces can vary in complexity and size as well. YG-1 has tools for specific materials like titanium, Inconel or aluminum as well as general-purpose tools for smaller shops and multiple applications.

It’s important to have the right CAM software to avoid wasted rapid travel movement, which increases cycle time. There are times when it is better to take a more conventional cutting pass. One example is when the width of cut is short with, say, a 0.5" (12.7-mm) end mill with the intention of cutting a length of the part that’s 0.5" long and the process needs to remove 0.3" (7.62 mm) of material. In this example, Horn recommends taking all the material off in one or two passes instead of 30 passes. To be efficient, the tool must stay on the part and limit time-wasting retraction.

There are other advantages. “By minimizing the width of cut you can elevate the surface footage on most alloys, with the exception of nickel-based alloys,” said Stusak. “You can’t elevate cutting speed that much because it is impossible to eliminate the heat in the cut, but for Ti6Al4V we have case studies where we have machined up to 400 sfm at 4 percent radial engagement with these tools.”

“We determine the process and program and run it within a range of speeds and feeds and estimate a cycle time,” Bruhis said. “Once the customer has a chance to run the program that we have set, we then can get feedback with real machining time results and, if the cycle time is too long and the cost is not in line with expected results, we make the required adjustments.”

I generally prefer the most compact and lightweight drills possible. They are easier to maneuver in tight spaces and they cause less fatigue when working overhead. I prefer the smallest and lightest drill that can effectively complete a task. If a drill weighing 4 pounds represents 100% power and a second drill weighs 3 pounds with 90% of that power, I’ll take door #2 every time.

When buying a cordless drill, consider your budget and try to get the most value for your money. Additionally, look for compatibility with other tools, a longer warranty, and a convenient service center. Consider where you will get new batteries or expand your tool collection. For professionals, having a good dealer relationship can be beneficial.