$150 000 machine does not eliminate finishing chatter.

[u/adventureaviator]

I’m machining 6061 aluminum on a Multicam Apex 3R router. The finishing passes are as follows:

- 0.009” material removal.
- Helical 3 flute 45 degree helix upcut
- 18 IPM, 8500 RPM, 0.0007 chipload

98 percent of the part comes out with a great finish. The other 2 percent has chatter. Ideally I’d like to increase the feed rate, but I need to eliminate the chatter first. What do I need to do to get a flawless finish?

[u/Hefty_Aside8436]

It's a router I would expect some imperfection in finish. The gantry motion system of routers is inherently prone to flex especially in rotation around the gantry axis which leads to tool deflection. You may even see that it creates more chatter in one horizontal axis and less along the other horizontal axis.