Facemill Inserts for aluminium

[Wongster]

Could this be the one I should be searching for?

APGT1604:
http://www.ctctools.biz/mitsubishi-carbi...r-g2-l102/

From Mitsubishi website: http://www.mitsubishicarbide.net/mmus/en...s/20050812



The dimensions are the same except the last 2 columns on BS and RE.  Couldn't figure out what they are from the pics in the catalogue.

[dallen]

RE is the corner radius, and BS is the wiper edge length.

[Wongster]

Thank you, Dallen.

To get an understanding of the price in order to to avoid buying fake stuff, I looked at Carbide Depot. For a pack of 10 of MITSUBISHI APGT1604PDFR-G2 HTI10, they are selling at USD153.50.
CTC Tools is selling at USD74.75
A store on Amazon at USD155.19
China sellers from Taobao are selling from USD14.58 - USD38.

I was told when purchasing the Hakko soldering station last year that some companies (like Hakko and Mitsubishi Carbide) have manufacturing plant in China for the China market and the region, but I'm not sure given the reputation of some. So I ended up paying almost double the price for a Jap made unit after going through some reviews on YouTube.

[Mayhem]

Is the cutter a Mitsubishi cutter or just a copy? If a copy, the folk who made made it actually copied the Mitsubishi designation as well. This is good, as it makes finding inserts easier. In fact, if you look at the image you posted, you will see that those inserts are shown as being for the BAP400 series cutters.

I know they do a BAP300 series as well, which I bet will take the smaller ADxT1135 inserts. So the CTCT website is correct, as both size cutters are using the ADxT style inserts. However, there are different sizes and you see this with most inserts. This is why it is important to understand the ANSI and ISO nomenclature, as they specify the insert size differently. For example, I use (ISO) CCxT09T304 turning inserts, which are (ANSI) CCxT3251 inserts. Downloading the Mitsubishi catalogs (which it looks like you have done) will help you understand which inserts suit your mill.

The next step is to look at their aluminium grades (current and old) and then see what you can find on eBay. Weeding out the rip offs is a problem and I think if the price looks too good to be true, it usually is. Can you buy Mitsubishi inserts locally?

[Mayhem]

Sorry - I just noticed your question. Yes, the inserts shown in the link: http://www.ctctools.biz/mitsubishi-carbi...r-g2-l102/ are the right size for your facemill.

The HTi10 grade appears to be a current general purpose one for non-ferrous materials. A very quick search didn't find anything useful on the G2 geometry but the picture suggests that it should work nicely in aluminium. Of course, speed and feed will play its part as well.

[Wongster]

I suspect the face mill is a copy, but a copy more expensive than if i was to purchase from RDG Tools or the the online retailers at that time (I still have the email which I asked the seller about the price difference). But I went ahead with them despite that as I also purchased other stuff for the same shipment.