1. Face Milling with an End Mill — Has It Become Your “Default”?

For face milling and bottom surface finishing, the ideal tool is a face mill (face milling cutter). However, on the actual shop floor, hasn’t using an end mill’s bottom edge for face milling become the “default”?

Behind this lies three typical constraints.

Constraint 1: Interference prevents the face milling cutter from fitting

Interference from surrounding walls, clamps, and fixtures regularly makes it physically impossible to use a face milling cutter. In such situations, using the bottom edge of a small-diameter solid end mill for face milling is the common workaround.

Constraint 2: Machining surface is too narrow, making tool diameter excessive — end mill used as substitute

Constraint 3: Shank diameter restrictions on Swiss-type and conventional lathes

When performing flat machining (cotter milling) on round bar components using Swiss-type or conventional lathes, the shank diameter that can be mounted on the milling spindle unit is limited. Additionally, the low rigidity of the milling spindle makes it difficult to increase cutting conditions, resulting in unstable surface quality.

The Common Problem — Limitations of Solid End Mill Bottom Edges

Solid end mill bottom edges are the go-to solution in all of these scenarios. However, solid end mills are inherently designed primarily for peripheral cutting (shoulder milling, slotting) and are not optimized for bottom surface finishing. As a result, the following issues occur repeatedly.

• Cutter marks — Minor step differences and variations in radius accuracy on the bottom edges transfer directly to the machined surface, leaving cutter marks visible to the naked eye
• Poor bottom surface quality — Without a wiper edge, end mills struggle to achieve fine surface roughness. No glossy finish. Finishing quality requirements cannot be met
• Impact on downstream processes — Scratches on the machined surface become visible after plating, requiring additional processes such as grinding or hand finishing

Face milling with an end mill’s bottom edge has become the “default” — the TungMeister VFM Head was created to change that default.

2. Beyond the Limits of Bottom Edges — The VFM Head Option

VFM Design Concept

“There’s no choice but to face mill with an end mill” — the VFM face milling dedicated head from Tungaloy’s exchangeable-head end mill TungMeister series overturns this assumption. It achieves surface quality that bottom-edge face milling could never deliver, through the combination of a wiper edge and sharp cutting edges.

VFM incorporates 4 technical features specifically designed for face milling finishing.

• Wiper edge equipped — A wiper edge on the bottom face smooths surface irregularities. Surface quality exceeding solid end mills is published in catalog specifications
• Sharp cutting edges × 6 flutes — 6 flutes across all sizes. Combines high feed rates from multi-flute design with low cutting resistance from sharp edges, simultaneously improving both surface quality and efficiency
• Low helix angle 10° × short cutting edge length 0.3×D — A 10° helix angle reduces axial cutting force. Combined with a cutting edge length shortened to 0.3× the tool diameter, this delivers an edge geometry optimized specifically for face milling
• Corner radius equipped (R0.2–R0.4) — Prevents edge chipping while suppressing burrs on the machined surface

φ10 to φ25 — 5-Size Lineup

VFM is available in 5 sizes to match different machining surface widths and machine environments. All sizes use the AH715 grade (latest coating, excellent wear and anti-welding resistance).

ISO P/M/K/N/S/H — All Workpiece Material Groups Covered

One of VFM’s major strengths is its broad workpiece material coverage. From carbon steel to stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum alloys, and even titanium alloys, heat-resistant alloys, and hardened steel — standard cutting conditions are established for all 6 ISO groups.

No need to wonder “Can I use it on this material?” — that is another major advantage of VFM.

3 Use Cases Where VFM Excels

Here’s how VFM addresses the three constraints that force shops to rely on end mills.

Surface Roughness Data — Ra That Surpasses Solid End Mills

Just how superior is VFM’s surface quality? Let’s verify with measured data published in the catalog.

Under these test conditions, VFM recorded surface roughness Ra surpassing both competitor solid end mills and competitor wiper-equipped products. It is particularly noteworthy that these results were achieved even in a low-rigidity BT30 environment.

3. Performance Backed by Data — Quantitative Comparison of Surface Quality, Efficiency, and Tool Life

From here, we quantitatively verify VFM’s performance across three axes — “surface quality,” “efficiency,” and “tool life” — based on 3 user machining case studies and catalog data.

Cross-Case Comparison of All 3 Cases

All 3 adoption cases received “win” ratings. Despite different workpiece materials and machine environments, VFM significantly outperformed existing tools in both surface quality and efficiency.

Here are the key takeaways from this data.

Point 1: Surface quality rated “good” or better in all cases — cutter mark and scratch issues fundamentally resolved

In Case 1, cutter marks caused by the solid end mill’s bottom edge disappeared, and the machined surface gained a glossy finish. Case 2 received a “very good” rating. In Case 3, the issue of scratches becoming visible after plating was eliminated. All results were achieved through the wiper edge smoothing the machined surface.

Point 2: 50–67% efficiency improvement — not just surface quality, but productivity gains too

VFM not only improves surface quality but also outperforms existing tools in feed rate and chip removal rate. The 6-flute high-feed capability combined with low cutting resistance from sharp edges enables simultaneous improvement of both surface quality and efficiency.

Point 3: Proven across BT30 to BT50 — wide range of machine environments

From the lowest-rigidity BT30 machine to BT50, stable results were achieved regardless of machine environment. VFM’s effectiveness holds even on low-rigidity machines.

Catalog Data — 1.5× Efficiency, 1.4× Tool Life

In addition to user case studies, VFM’s capabilities are backed by catalog data.

4. User Machining Case Studies

What happened when shops that had been face milling with end mill bottom edges switched to VFM? Positive results in all 3 cases. From heat-resistant alloys to stainless steel and general steel, VFM has been adopted across a wide range of workpiece materials.

Summary — Transform Your Face Milling with VFM

“Are you still face milling with an end mill?” — This article has presented the technical features, data, and case studies of the TungMeister VFM Head as the answer to this question. Here are the key points.

1. Face milling with an end mill — there’s a problem with this “default” — Many shops have no choice but to rely on end mills due to interference constraints, narrow surface widths, and shank diameter limitations
2. VFM is a head designed exclusively for face milling — Wiper edge + sharp cutting edges + 6 flutes × low helix angle × short cutting edge length. A fundamentally different approach from general-purpose end mill bottom edges
3. Surface quality surpassing solid end mills — published in catalog specifications — In Ra comparison on SUS303, VFM outperformed both competitor solid and wiper-equipped products
4. “Win” ratings in all 3 user case studies — 50–67% efficiency improvement, surface quality rated “good” to “very good” in all cases. Cutter marks eliminated, glossy surfaces, post-plating scratch issues resolved
5. Proven from BT30 to BT50 — Stable machining on low-rigidity machines and Swiss-type lathes. VER shank minimizes overhang
6. All ISO P/M/K/N/S/H workpiece materials covered — Proven on Hastelloy-X, SUS440C, SS, A5052, FCD400, and more
7. Exchangeable-head system reduces running costs — Instead of replacing the entire solid tool, only the head is exchanged. The shank is reused
8. 4-size lineup from φ12 to φ25 — Select the right diameter to match the machining surface width

You don’t need to keep face milling with an end mill’s bottom edge. If cutter marks, poor surface quality, or post-plating appearance issues sound familiar, give the VFM Head a try.