Machining rubber
Rubber machining requires a very sharp cutter, I know, but even this was not working satisfactorily in one job I took on. I was machining a lattice pattern something like a waffle iron, little squares created by machining a crisscross of channels in 2 axis.
There seems to be a "skin" on the top, even though the entire part was surfaced, so this would leave a heavy attached burr to the top edge of nearly every post: too much work to remove with an exacto knife, and too interrupted to use a shaviv deburring tool on. Oh, allright, I did have to deburr one entirely by hand
What I came up with was a heavy collar that was slipped over the body of the cutter, and setscrewed in position with only the exact amount of the cutter flutes exposed below, as I needed for the depth of cut. In this case I was using a 5/8 high helix 2 flute slot mill, and cutting .187" deep.
The collar serves to "hold down" the top of the rubber surface so it would cut, instead of being rolled ahead of the cutter. The cutting action reduced the chips to crumb instead of flakes, but by following the cutter with a vacuum, I was able to cut without stopping.
The plunge points I made beforehand without the collar on the cutter.
First you get good, then you get fast. Then grouchiness sets in.
(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)