EXPERT Milling Tips for ALL Materials

Titans of CNC Academy
Titans of CNC AcademyMay 14, 2026

Why It Matters

It proves a low‑cost, universal endmill can replace multiple specialty tools, lowering inventory and operational costs for small manufacturers, while highlighting when premium tools become essential for high‑volume, hard‑material production.

Key Takeaways

  • Go Mill Pro handles aluminum, steel, stainless, titanium, incanel.
  • Same endmill used across all materials without changing tools.
  • Tool maintains geometry after 30‑minute titanium cut, showing durability.
  • Full‑slotting achieved in titanium and incanel, rare for budget endmills.
  • For high‑volume incanel, upgrade to Harvey series for longer tool life.

Summary

The video showcases the Go Mill Pro, a budget‑priced carbide endmill that Titans of CNC uses as a universal cutting tool. The host tests the same ½‑inch four‑flute cutter on 6061‑T6 aluminum, 4140 steel, 304 stainless steel, 6Al‑4V titanium, and 625 incanel, running four machining strategies: helical boring, surface milling, full slotting, and fast dynamic milling.

Across all five materials the Go Mill Pro delivered consistent performance. It cut aluminum at 125 ipm, milled stainless without coolant, full‑slotted steel at 200 ipm, and even completed full slots in titanium—something the presenter had never seen from a low‑cost endmill. After 30 minutes of continuous titanium machining the tool’s corners and flutes remained sharp, and it survived over half an hour in incanel before showing noticeable wear.

Key moments include the host’s remark, “Little price, big aspirations,” and the visual inspection of the tool after prolonged use, confirming minimal wear. The presenter also contrasts this general‑purpose cutter with premium Harvey series tools, noting that while the Go Mill Pro is adequate for most jobs, high‑volume incanel work benefits from the longer‑life Harvey 2TE, 3 Arrow, or 4 models.

The demonstration suggests small shops can dramatically cut tooling inventory and expense by adopting a single, inexpensive endmill for diverse applications, while still recognizing the need for specialized tools when machining demanding alloys at scale.

Original Description

Buy this exact tool here:
For more information on this YCM C10 CNC machine and more:
Register for Boombastic 2026:
In this video, Barry puts Kennametal’s GoMill Pro to the test in the YCM C10 CNC machine across five very different materials: 304 stainless steel, 6061 T-6 aluminum, 4140 steel, 6AL4V titanium, and 625 Inconel. Each material is pushed through four real-world machining operations—helical boring, surface milling, full slotting, and dynamic milling—to see how this cutter performs across a wide range of applications. This is a real-world look at how tool selection directly impacts cycle time, tool life, and profitability in CNC machining.
00:00 Kennametal GoMill Pro – 4 Milling Operations in the YCM C10
01:06 304 Stainless Steel
03:27 6061 T-6 Aluminum
04:46 4140 Steel
06:55 6AL4V Titanium
08:58 Inconel 625
11:35 Tool Wear – Budget vs Premium End Mills
Join The #1 Manufacturing Social App:
Get the MFG Connect app here:
Subscribe to our MACHINING MINDSET channel:
@machiningmindset
#Machining #Manufacturing #Engineering #MachineShop

Comments

Want to join the conversation?

Loading comments...