Tangential cutting insert and milling cutter

1. A cutting insert comprising:

two identical opposing end surfaces, each end surface having four corners including two lowered corners and two raised corners, the lowered corners being closer to a median plane M than the raised corners, each end surface being provided with at least one abutment surface;

a peripheral side surface extending between the two opposing end surfaces and comprising two identical opposing major side surfaces and two identical opposing minor side surfaces; and

a peripheral edge formed at the intersection of each end surface and the peripheral side surface, each peripheral edge comprising two major edges and two minor edges;

wherein, in a side view of a major side surface, the major edges each slope between a corresponding raised corner and a corresponding lowered corner; and

wherein, in a side view of a minor side surface, the minor edges each comprise one section that is sloped and another section that is straight, the two sections associated with each minor edge together extending between a corresponding raised corner and a corresponding lowered corner.

2. The cutting insert according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one major edge comprises a major cutting edge.

3. The cutting insert according to claim 2 , wherein the major cutting edge extends along substantially the whole length of an associated major side surface.

4. The cutting insert according to claim 2 , wherein one of the sections of the at least one minor edge comprises a minor cutting edge.

5. The cutting insert according to claim 4 , wherein the first raised corner connects the major cutting edge with the minor cutting edge.

6. The cutting insert according to claim 4 , wherein each minor cutting edge extends along at least half of the length of an associated minor edge.

7. The cutting insert according to claim 4 , wherein each end surface comprises a pair of diagonally opposing corner cutting edges, each associated with a raised corner, corresponding major and minor cutting edges merging at said corner cutting edges.

8. The cutting insert according to claim 7 , wherein said at least one abutment surface is positioned between said diagonally opposing corner cutting edges.

9. The cutting insert according to claim 1 , wherein each minor side surface merges with an adjacent major side surface at a corner side surface, wherein each corner side surface extends between a given raised corner of one of the two opposing end surfaces and a given lowered corner of the other of one of the two opposing end surfaces.

10. The cutting insert according to claim 1 , wherein each end surface is provided with at least one abutment member upon which said at least one abutment surface is provided.

11. The cutting insert according to claim 1 , wherein in an end-view of the cutting insert the at least one abutment surface is generally rectangular in shape.

12. The cutting insert according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the abutment surface is flat.

13. The cutting insert according to claim 1 , wherein:

the two identical opposing end surfaces have 180° rotational symmetry about a first axis A 1 passing therethrough,

the two identical opposing major side surfaces have 180° rotational symmetry about a second axis A 2 passing therethrough, the second axis A 2 being perpendicular to the first axis A 1 , and a minor plane P 1 is defined by the first axis A 1 and the second axis A 2 ;

the two identical opposing minor side surfaces have 180° rotational symmetry about a third axis A 3 passing therethrough, the third axis A 3 being perpendicular to the first axis A 1 and the second axis A 2 , and a major plane P 2 is defined by the first axis A 1 and the third axis A 3 ; and

the median plane M is defined by the second axis A 2 and the third axis A 3 .

14. A milling cutter comprising:

a plurality of insert receiving pockets; and

a cutting insert in accordance with claim 1 seated in each of said pockets.