Hi
I have a request to cut 4mm phenolic and am wondering what bits, feeds and speeds to use. The parts will be small so I may need to use small (thin) bits. Has anyone got experience of this.
Thanks Owen
Just going by my experience with plexi and resin, you’ll want to be rocking with single O-flute upcut bits. Speeds depending on the bit diameter, but if its 1/8"dia, I’d start around 20IPM and push upwards from there depending on the complexity of the shapes. 18000rpm but you might slow that down a bit if it’s too melty. Not sure about phenolic I’ve only cut it as a laminate on plywood. I’d be using a decent amount of thoughtfully positioned doublestick tape or masking+CA glue.
I’d probably cut in three passes: 2 good bites, and then a final very thin pass to free the part without too much stress on the cut. This could probably be optimized to be more aggressive if you’re trying to churn out a lot of parts though.
I’d personally check out cheaper bits on amazon. there’s plenty of totally decent ones available in 5 or 10packs at quite reasonable cost.
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Thank you, much appreciated.
For the requirement of cutting 4mm phenolic resin, it is recommended to use a small diameter drill bit and adjust the feed and cutting speed to avoid material damage. Seek advice from experienced professionals and conduct test validations to ensure optimal machining results. The specific parameters are: drill bit diameter 0.5mm, feed speed 50mm/min, cutting speed 500 rpm.
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I cut 1inch phenolic many times. 1/4 end mill works fine, occasionally 1/8 end mill as well. Little slower then hard wood, plunge too. 16K rpm
Another project here:
As you can see on the vacuum pod, I should have probably slowed down a little, thus the corner rips. Doesn’t affect vacuum though 
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