The absence of backlash is one factor that makes conventional milling stand out. This absence is because conventional milling does not pull up the table, ensuring optimal stability.

In this article, we discussed their differences and the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques, so you can make informed decisions regarding which is ideal for your project.

As opposed to Climb milling, chip formation in conventional end milling starts from zero and gradually increases. Furthermore, the cut chips stay on the path of the cutter due to their upward rotation.

In an interview with Metal Hammer earlier this year, Chancellor stated “We put a little work in before this tour," Chancellor said referring to the band’s writing sessions. "We gave it a stab for a couple of months. We ended up compiling all the ideas we had; normally when we do that we start writing pretty soon after, but we had a lot of stuff coming up, so we didn't dive all the way in. When we're done with Europe, we're gonna dive back in during the second half of the year.”

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Both processes have their advantages, depending on the application. Let us examine these advantages as they may influence your choice of which method suits your workpiece best.

However, this deflection rate also makes conventional milling ideal for machining harder materials such as steel and cast iron.

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Again, while this certainly does sound great and it paints an optimistic picture for new music arriving sooner than later, this info needs be take with a grain of salt. However, things do seem more optimistic than usual as TOOL bassist Justin Chancellor has also been on record in recent interviews stating his shared desire to release new music. The icing on top of all this new music speculation is Chancellor’s recent remarks regarding the band resuming writing sessions following their 2024 European tour, which only recently came to an end.

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The better one depends on the type of machine, preference, and material requirement. However, conventional machining is a better choice for manual machining, especially using a machine without a backlash eliminator.

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While both climb milling vs conventional milling has their advantages, they also have disadvantages. Here are some of them.

Another downside to conventional milling is the heat generated during the process. This heat generated is because chip formation here is gradual, often resulting in cutting tool overheating. A consequence of cutting tool overheating is a reduction in its life span.

Here, we examine the differences and the advantages and disadvantages of conventional milling and climb milling. We also provide factors to consider when choosing between them for milling to help you make the right machining decisions.

There are two main reasons why climb milling gives a better finish. First, this cutting process drops the cut chips behind the cutter, reducing recutting. The second reason is that climb cutting reduces cutting forces, which translates to less tool deflection, and a better finish.

Climb milling occurs with the aid of a downward force. This force often affects not only the workpiece but it could also affect the table, pulling it into the cutting tool.

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IRWINDALE, CA- August 6: Vocalist Maynard James Keenan with Tool on the Lollapalooza tour on August ... [+] 6, 1993 at the Santa Fe Dam in Irwindale, California. (Photo: Lindsay Brice/Getty Images)

The cut depth and tool life are opposites, so it is best to find a balance between them. You must note that increasing cut depth reduces tool life and vice versa.

Equipped with 3, 4, and 5-axis CNC milling capabilities, we produce various parts regardless of geometry complexity with high accuracy. From a single product to low-volume parts production, We are devoted to offering cost-effective milling solutions. At WayKen, we also provide part finishing services for your CNC machining projects, ensuring high-quality parts.

There is lower heat generation during climb milling because of the gradual reduction in chip width as cutting progress. Also, since the cutting force is downwards, there is a reduction in the overall cutting load and workpiece holding requirements, especially during horizontal milling processes. The downward force exerted by the cutter may also help eliminate machining chatter as it keeps the workpiece tightly against the surface beneath.

With climb milling, working at a fast feed rate or machining thick workpieces would result in severe vibrations. The cause of this vibration is the cutting tool’s impact on the workpiece. These vibrations are detrimental as they often result in tool deflections which could affect accuracy. They could also damage the workpiece.

Since the chip thickness decreases as the climb milling process progresses, it results in fewer deflections during the cutting process. Besides, cutting in this process deposits the chips behind the cutter, eliminating recutting and guaranteeing an excellent finish to machined parts.

Frictional and upward forces generated during conventional milling often produce excessive heat. Also, with excessive heat, the tool suffers damage, reducing its lifespan, precision, and accuracy of the workpiece.

One way to ensure consistency in CNC machining results is by combining the right tool with the right experience. This is why outsourcing your up and down milling projects to reputable manufacturing companies.

Also known as down milling, this refers to a milling process where the cutting tool and the workpiece rotate in the same direction. One advantage of climb milling is that there is zero chance of recutting. The reason is that the cutting tool’s teeth climb onto the workpiece during milling, depositing the cut chips behind the cutter. It is important to note that chip formation in this milling process starts with a full thickness, but as the cut progresses, the thickness decreases along with it.

Climb milling vs conventional milling is one debate that has been around for a long time among seasoned and new machinists. However, both processes have their stand-out points and drawbacks.

With all of this being said, there’s no concrete information on when TOOL plans to release new music or if they’ve even started recording new material, it’s all speculation. However, considering both Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor have been outspoken about these writing sessions as well as how they’d like to release music in a more timely matter, it’d only make sense if the band were in fact in the early stages of writing the next TOOL album. Time will only tell if this is true, and hopefully it won’t be 13 years time.

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The name climb milling comes from the fact that when milling with this technique, the cutter teeth climb down onto the workpiece surface. This results in the deposition of chips behind the cutter while reducing the incidence of recutting.

During conventional milling operations, there is a greater tendency for the cutter to deflect away from the workpiece. This deflection ensures that there is a minimal chance of unintentional cuts occurring. Also, even if these cuts occur, their depth would be negligible. So for optimal control, conventional milling wins the climb milling vs conventional milling debate.

Since chip thickness is highest at the onset of cutting in climb milling, using this process on harder materials would damage the cutting tool. This could happen to cutting tools made from steel, cast iron, titanium, and other hard materials. So for use in milling harder tools, conventional milling wins the climb vs conventional milling debate.

This is the traditional CNC milling process, where the cutting tool rotates in an opposing direction to the workpiece. Also called up milling, cutting in conventional milling occurs in an upward direction.

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What is the difference between conventional and climb milling? Well, many differences exist between them, from process to result. However, tool deflection affecting cutting accuracy is a major difference between these two milling methods.

Since the release of TOOL’s Fear Inoculum in 2019, TOOL fans have continued to grow hungry for whatever the band’s next musical endeavor might be. However, provided TOOL’s last album took over 13 years to release, there’s a certain level of precaution that comes with any news or hopes of new TOOL music arriving soon. After all, in the years leading up to Fear Inoculum TOOL kept giving fans false hopes of their shiny new album releasing, dating as far back as 2013.

However, it is important to note that conventional milling produces a better finish in cases of significant tool deflection.

The cutting tool used for this process often has better service life than the ones used in conventional milling. The reason is that the tool does not undergo much stress during the cutting process. A mill cutting tool used for climb milling often experiences lower heat generation and deflections than conventional milling. This results in less wear, with the tool living up to 50% longer than that used for conventional milling.

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This is one major disadvantage of climb milling in the conventional vs climb milling debate, especially where cutter forces are strong enough. Let us explain better.

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The upward cutting used in this process makes achieving a smooth finish difficult. This is due to the number of deflections experienced by the workpiece and cutting tool, resulting in a rougher surface.

When roughing a workpiece, the recommendation is to try climb milling, which yields a faster result. Also, during roughing, the tool deflection effects on accuracy are negligible, as the finish pass would make the workpiece more accurate.

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Regarding tool deflection in conventional milling, it is parallel to the cut, which translates to greater control over the cutting process and a lower margin for error. On the other hand, tool deflection during climb milling is usually perpendicular to the cut. This direction may decrease or increase the width of the cut, affecting its accuracy.

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It is best to use conventional milling if you want to remove a rough material. Avoid using conventional milling when making the final cut, as it would produce a rough surface.

But these days, milling machines come equipped with a backlash eliminator. This helps reduce backlash, allowing machinists to reap the benefits of Climb milling unhindered.

So, if there is a backlash, the table pulling occurs with the same amount of backlash. This also means that if there is enough backlash, there is a high tendency for the table to break, which could injure the operator. This is especially true when the cutting tool is operating at high capacity.

While climb milling tends to pull the workpiece towards the operator as it cuts downwards, conventional milling does it in the opposite direction. Therefore, it offers machinists greater control, translating to greater stability. Compared to down milling, there is no excessive vibration in conventional milling. So for stability, conventional milling wins the climb vs conventional milling argument.

Climb milling works with a downforce, hence during face milling, it helps brace the workpiece against the surface beneath, reducing chatter on thin floors.

WayKen is an ISO 9001-certified manufacturing company with experienced teams of engineers offering custom CNC milling services for various materials, including metals, plastics, and other composite materials.

That being said, TOOL’s band members have been fairly outspoken in recent years regarding their desire to release new music and in a more timely manner than their previous LP. In an interview back in 2022, TOOL drumer Danny Carey was discussing Fear Inoculum and the plans for new music stating, “I'm sure it won't take us this long for the next one. We even had some stuff left over from the last one that we'll develop. We have head starts on three or four new songs."

Milling is a form of subtractive manufacturing that involves cutting a stationary flat surface with a rotating tool. Climb and Conventional milling are the two main ways machinists use for milling a part. However, choosing between them is often challenging as both have merits and demerits.

If these remarks are the icing atop all this news, then Chancellors recent instagram post might be the cherry on top. With the caption “Vacation is over...” Chancellor’s post showcases two of his signature basses in their touring cases in what looks like might be a rehearsal or recording space. Referring back to Chancellor original comments on how the band plans to pickup writing sessions following their European tour, this post could very well be Chancellor’s way of showing without telling that the band is in fact back in the writing process.