Patent attributes
A ball end mill comprises a gash provided at a front end portion of a main end mill body rotated about an axis; and at least one cutting edge which has a rotational trajectory around the axis that forms a convex hemispherical shape having a center on the axis. The cutting edge is formed at a peripheral edge portion of a wall surface of the gash. A difference between a first and second included angles is within ±7°, where the first included angle is formed between the axis and a straight line connecting the center with a cutting edge position at which a depth of the gash is maximal in a cross-section orthogonal to the cutting edge, and the second included angle is formed between the axis and a straight line connecting the center with a cutting edge position at which a rake angle of the cutting edge is maximal.