In engine remanufacturing the amount of material left in the cylinder head or engine block directly impacts the engines longevity and strength. Critical tolerances such as deck height can make or break an engine. Removing the least amount of material required is not only preferable, but it’s a necessity with modern engines especially those with overhead cam designs.

Typically when approaching a minimum material cleanup on a block you program your CNC machine with two sets of parameters—an initial roughing set following by a finishing set. However, because each block varies based on the life that it’s lived, you may need to take more or less material from the block to reach an ideal condition.

You could adjust the entire program for each block, or simply complete the process manually, but Rottler offers an easier, less time consuming, and more precise method.

Rottler’s software features a unique auto cycle function called “Additional Depth.” This function skips the cutting and roughing passes and runs just the finishing parameter, allowing you to remove a specific amount of material quickly and accurately.

The function is particularly useful when dealing with the variability of a block where you’re not entirely certain how much material you need to remove because it allows you to remove just a little material at a time.

The Additional Depth milling cycle is available across Rottler’s CNC machining center product line and makes performing minimum material cleanups a breeze.

In this video Applications Engineer, Ryan Thompson, demonstrates the Additional Depth function with the F10XS machining center and an LS engine block.