Optimal tool design in micro-milling of difficult-to-machine materials

The limitations of significant tool wear and tool breakage of commercially available fluted micro-end mill tools often lead to ineffective and inefficient manufacturing,while surface quality and geometric dimensions remain unacceptably poor.This is especially true for machining of difficult-to-machine(DTM)materials,such as super alloys and ceramics.Such conventional fluted micro-tool designs are generally down scaled from the macro-milling tool designs.However,simply scaling such designs from the macro to micro domain leads to inherent design flaws,such as poor tool rigidity,poor tool strength and weak cutting edges,ultimately ending in tool failure.Therefore,in this article a design process is first established to determine optimal micro-end mill tool designs for machining some typical DTM materials commonly used in manufacturing orthopaedic implants and micro-feature moulds.The design process focuses on achieving robust stiffness and mechanical strength to reduce tool wear,avoid tool chipping and tool breakage in order to efficiently machine very hard materials.Then,static stress and deflection finite element analysis(FEA)is carried out to identify stiffness and rigidity of the tool design in relation to the maximum deformations,as well as the Von Mises stress distribution at the cutting edge of the designed tools.Following analysis and further optimisation of the FEA results,a verified optimum tool design is established for micro-milling DTM materials.An experimental study is then carried out to compare the optimum tool design to commercial tools,in regards to cutting forces,tool wear and surface quality.

Energy field-assisted high-speed dry milling green machining technology for difficult-to-machine metal materials

Energy field-assisted machining technology has the potential to overcome the limitations of machining difficult-to-machine metal materials,such as poor machinability,low cutting efficiency,and high energy consumption.High-speed dry milling has emerged as a typical green processing technology due to its high processing efficiency and avoidance of cutting fluids.However,the lack of necessary cooling and lubrication in high-speed dry milling makes it difficult to meet the continuous milling requirements for difficult-to-machine metal materials.The introduction of advanced energy-field-assisted green processing technology can improve the machinability of such metallic materials and achieve efficient precision manufacturing,making it a focus of academic and industrial research.In this review,the characteristics and limitations of high-speed dry milling of difficult-to-machine metal materials,including titanium alloys,nickel-based alloys,and high-strength steel,are systematically explored.The laser energy field,ultrasonic energy field,and cryogenic minimum quantity lubrication energy fields are introduced.By analyzing the effects of changing the energy field and cutting parameters on tool wear,chip morphology,cutting force,temperature,and surface quality of the workpiece during milling,the superiority of energy-field-assisted milling of difficult-to-machine metal materials is demonstrated.Finally,the shortcomings and technical challenges of energy-field-assisted milling are summarized in detail,providing feasible ideas for realizing multi-energy field collaborative green machining of difficult-to-machine metal materials in the future.

Comparative assessment of force,temperature,and wheel wear in sustainable grinding aerospace alloy using biolubricant

The substitution of biolubricant for mineral cutting fluids in aerospace material grinding is an inevitable development direction,under the requirements of the worldwide carbon emission strategy.However,serious tool wear and workpiece damage in difficult-to-machine material grinding challenges the availability of using biolubricants via minimum quantity lubrication.The primary cause for this condition is the unknown and complex influencing mechanisms of the biolubricant physicochemical properties on grindability.In this review,a comparative assessment of grindability is performed using titanium alloy,nickel-based alloy,and high-strength steel.Firstly,this work considers the physicochemical properties as the main factors,and the antifriction and heat dissipation behaviours of biolubricant in a high temperature and pressure interface are comprehensively analysed.Secondly,the comparative assessment of force,temperature,wheel wear and workpiece surface for titanium alloy,nickel-based alloy,and high-strength steel confirms that biolubricant is a potential replacement of traditional cutting fluids because of its improved lubrication and cooling performance.High-viscosity biolubricant and nano-enhancers with high thermal conductivity are recommended for titanium alloy to solve the burn puzzle of the workpiece.Biolubricant with high viscosity and high fatty acid saturation characteristics should be used to overcome the bottleneck of wheel wear and nickel-based alloy surface burn.The nano-enhancers with high hardness and spherical characteristics are better choices.Furthermore,a different option is available for high-strength steel grinding,which needs low-viscosity biolubricant to address the debris breaking difficulty and wheel clogging.Finally,the current challenges and potential methods are proposed to promote the application of biolubricant.