English
Single: Is used to remove lots of material at a very fast rate. Traditionally used in a roughing operation.[1]
2 Flute: Allows for more chips to be removed from the part. Primarily used in slotting and pocketing operations in non-ferrous materials.
3 Flute: Similar to the 2 Flute end mill but can be used to cut ferrous and non-ferrous materials
4+ Flute: Designed to run at faster feed rates but due to having more flutes it causes issues with chip removal.
Roughing: the purpose is to remove a big chunk of material from workpieces, sometimes to get rid of excess material in order to get closer to the final shape.[2] It attempts to get really close to the finalized shape. Traditionally it's the first major operation in the machining process.
Contouring/Profiling: this is a process used to mill different surfaces such as flat or irregular ones. This type of process can be done during the roughing or finishing phase of the overall operation.[3]
Facing: is an operation used to face the part down to specified dimension. Facing can be done using end mills or a special face mill.[4][5][6]
Pocketing/Slotting: this is a process to make a pocket on the inside of the part. A pocket can be shallow or deep, depending on specs. [7]
