Investigation on tool wear and tool life prediction in micro-milling of Ti-6Al-4V

Short tool life and rapid tool wear in micromachining of hard-to-machine materials remain a barrier to the process being economically viable. In this study, standard procedures and conditions set by the ISO for tool life testing in milling were used to analyze the wear of tungsten carbide micro-end-milling tools through slot milling conducted on titanium alloy Ti-6 Al-4 V. Tool wear was characterized by flank wear rate,cutting-edge radius change, and tool volumetric change. The effect of machining parameters, such as cutting speed and feedrate, on tool wear was investigated with reference to surface roughness and geometric accuracy of the finished workpiece. Experimental data indicate different modes of tool wear throughout machining, where nonuniform flank wear and abrasive wear are the dominant wear modes. High cutting speed and low feedrate can reduce the tool wear rate and improve the tool life during micromachining.However, the low feedrate enhances the plowing effect on the cutting zone, resulting in reduced surface quality and leading to burr formation and premature tool failure. This study concludes with a proposal of tool rejection criteria for micro-milling of Ti-6 Al-4 V.

TOOL WEAR PATTERNS AND MECHANISMS OF SOLID CEMENTED CARBIDE IN HIGH-SPEED MILLING OF ALUMINUM ALLOY

The wear patterns and wear mechanisms of solid cemented carbide are analyzed in high-speed milling of aluminum alloy. Results show that the dominant wear patterns are coating damage, crater wear, micro-chipping, breakage, and so on. The main wear mechanisms are adhesion, diffusion and fatigue. Compared with conventional speed machining, the effect and impact of thermal-dynamical coupling field play an important role in the cutting tool wear in high-speed milling of aluminum alloy.

Influence of Minimum Quantity Lubrication Parameters on Tool Wear and Surface Roughness in Milling of Forged Steel

The minimum quantity of lubrication（MQL） technique is becoming increasingly more popular due to the safety of environment.Moreover,MQL technique not only leads to economical benefits by way of saving lubricant costs but also presents better machinability.However,the effect of MQL parameters on machining is still not clear,which needs to be overcome.In this paper,the effect of different modes of lubrication,i.e.,conventional way using flushing,dry cutting and using the minimum quantity lubrication（MQL） technique on the machinability in end milling of a forged steel（50CrMnMo）,is investigated.The influence of MQL parameters on tool wear and surface roughness is also discussed.MQL parameters include nozzle direction in relation to feed direction,nozzle elevation angle,distance from the nozzle tip to the cutting zone,lubricant flow rate and air pressure.The investigation results show that MQL technique lowers the tool wear and surface roughness values compared with that of conventional flood cutting fluid supply and dry cutting conditions.Based on the investigations of chip morphology and color,MQL technique reduces the cutting temperature to some extent.The relative nozzle-feed position at 120°,the angle elevation of 60° and distance from nozzle tip to cutting zone at 20 mm provide the prolonged tool life and reduced surface roughness values.This fact is due to the oil mists can penetrate in the inner zones of the tool edges in a very efficient way.Improvement in tool life and surface finish could be achieved utilizing higher oil flow rate and higher compressed air pressure.Moreover,oil flow rate increased from 43.8 mL？h to 58.4 mL？h leads to a small decrease of flank wear,but it is not very significant.The results obtained in this paper can be used to determine optimal conditions for milling of forged steel under MQL conditions.

Theoretical and Experimental Research on Error Analysis and Optimization of Tool Path in Fabricating Aspheric Compound Eyes by Precision Micro Milling

Structure design and fabricating methods of three-dimensional （3D） artificial spherical compound eyes have been researched by many scholars. Micro-nano optical manufacturing is mostly used to process 3D artificial compound eyes. However, spherical optical compound eyes are less at optical performance than the eyes of insects, and it is difficult to further improve the imaging quality of compound eyes by means of micro-nano optical manufacturing. In this research, nonhomogeneous aspheric compound eyes （ACEs） are designed and fabricated. The nonhomogeneous aspheric structure is applied to calibrate the spherical aberration. Micro milling with advantages in processing three-dimensional micro structures is adopted to manufacture ACEs. In order to obtain ACEs with high imaging quality, the tool paths are optimized by analyzing the influence factors consisting of interpolation allowable error, scallop height and tool path pattern. In the experiments, two kinds of ACEs are manufactured by micro-milling with different too path patterns and cutting parameter on the miniature precision five-axis milling machine tool. The experimental results indicate that the ACEs of high surface quality can be achieved by circularly milling small micro-lens individually with changeable cutting depth. A prototype of the aspheric compound eye （ACE） with surface roughness （Ra） below 0.12 p.m is obtained with good imaging performance. This research ameliorates the imaging quality of 3D artificial compound eyes, and the proposed method of micro-milling can improve surface processing quality of compound eyes.

Wear Mechanism of Cemented Carbide Tool in High Speed Milling of Stainless Steel

Adhesion of cutting tool and chip often occurs when machining stainless steels with cemented carbide tools. Wear mechanism of cemented carbide tool in high speed milling of stainless steel 0Cr13Ni4 Mo was studied in this work. Machining tests on high speed milling of 0Cr13Ni4 Mo with a cemented carbide tool are conducted. The cutting force and cutting temperature are measured. The wear pattern is recorded and analyzed by high?speed camera, scanning electron microscope(SEM) and energy dispersive X?ray spectroscopy(EDS). It is found that adhesive wear was the dominant wear pattern causing tool failure. The process and microcosmic mechanism of the tool’s adhesive wear are analyzed and discussed based on the experimental results. It is shown that adhesive wear of the tool occurs due to the wear of coating, the a nity of elements Fe and Co, and the grinding of workpiece materials to the tool material. The process of adhesive wear includes both microcosmic elements di usion and macroscopic cyclic process of adhe?sion, tearing and fracture.

Method of Precise Auto Tool Setting for Micro Milling

Based on microscope and image processing, a new method of auto tool setting for micro milling was presented. Firstly, a realtime image of tool setting area was obtained by microscope and CCD camera, then image processing was carried out on this image and the gap between the tool and workpiece was calculated. The gap measurement was sent to motion controlling card to make the tool approach to the surface of workpiece. These steps were repeated until the gap is zero, which means that tool setting was finished. Moreover, a reliability verification test was conducted. Results indicated that the precision of tool setting is satisfactory.

Wear Patterns and Mechanisms of Cutting Tools in High Speed Face Milling

High speed machining has received an important interest because it leads to an increase of productivity and a better workpiece surface quality. However, at high cutting speeds, the tool wear increases dramatically due to the high temperature at the tool-workpiece interface. Tool wear impairs the surface finish and hence the tool life is reduced. That is why an important objective of metal cutting research has been the assessment of tool wear patterns and mechanisms. In this paper, wear performances of PCBN tool, ceramic tool, coated carbide tool and fine-grained carbide tool in high speed face milling were presented when cutting cast iron, 45# tempered carbon steel and 45# hardened carbon steel. Tool wear patterns were examined through a tool-making microscope. The research results showed that tool wear types differed in various matching of materials between cutting tool and workpiece. The dominant wear patterns observed were rake face wear, flank wear, chipping, fracture and breakage. The main wear mechanisms were mechanical friction, adhesion, diffusion and chemical wear promoted by cutting forces and high cutting temperature. Hence, the important considerations of high speed cutting tool materials are high heat-resistance and wear-resistance, chemical stability as well as resistance to failure of coatings. The research results will be great benefit to the design and the selection of tool materials and control of tool wear in high-speed machining processes.

Design and Manufacturing of Ultra-Hard Micro-Milling Tool

Based on the study of existing typical micro-milling tools and the actual demand for micro-milling tools, the P3 design principle and design flow for ultra-hard micro-milling tool were introduced to give basic guidance for the optimization of micro-milling tools. Then, according to the P3 design flow, the manufacturing process of polycrystalline diamond(PCD) micro-milling tool was proposed, and the PCD micro-milling tool with diameter of 0.5 mm was developed. Finally, the micro-milling test on the slot was carried out to study the milling performance of PCD micromilling tool.

Optimization of micro milling electrical discharge machining of Inconel 718 by Grey-Taguchi method

The optimization of micro milling electrical discharge machining（EDM） process parameters of Inconel 718 alloy to achieve multiple performance characteristics such as low electrode wear,high material removal rate and low working gap was investigated by the Grey-Taguchi method.The influences of peak current,pulse on-time,pulse off-time and spark gap on electrode wear（EW）,material removal rate（MRR） and working gap（WG） in the micro milling electrical discharge machining of Inconel 718 were analyzed.The experimental results show that the electrode wear decreases from 5.6×10-9 to 5.2×10-9 mm3/min,the material removal rate increases from 0.47×10-8 to 1.68×10-8 mm3/min,and the working gap decreases from 1.27 to 1.19 μm under optimal micro milling electrical discharge machining process parameters.Hence,it is clearly shown that multiple performance characteristics can be improved by using the Grey-Taguchi method.

Experimental Study on Titanium Alloy Cutting Property and Wear Mechanism with Circular-arc Milling Cutters

Titanium alloy has been applied in the field of aerospace manufacturing for its high specific strength and hardness.Nonetheless,these properties also cause general problems in the machining,such as processing inefficiency,serious wear,poor workpiece face quality,etc.Aiming at the above problems,this paper carried out a comparative experimental study on titanium alloy milling based on the CAMCand BEMC.The variation law of cutting force and wear morphology of the two tools were obtained,and the wear mechanism and the effect of wear on machining quality were analyzed.The conclusion is that in contrast with BEMC,under the action of cutting thickness thinning mechanism,the force of CAMC was less,and its fluctuation was more stable.The flank wear was uniform and near the cutting edge,and the wear rate was slower.In the early period,the wear mechanism of CAMC was mainly adhesion.Gradually,oxidative wear also occurred with milling.Furthermore,the surface residual height of CAMC was lower.There is no obvious peak and trough accompanied by fewer surface defects.

Experimental and FEM Study of Coated and Uncoated Tools Used for Dry Milling of Compacted Graphite Cast Iron

Compacted graphite cast iron （CG1） has been the material for high-power diesel engines recently, but its increased strength causes poor machinability. In this study, coated and uncoated carbide tools were used in dry milling experiment and FEM simulation to study the machinability of CGI and wear behaviour of tools. The experimental and FEM simulation results show that coated tool has great advantage in dry milling of CGI. SEM and EDS analysis of tool wear indicate the wear morphology and wear mechanism. Adhesive wear is the main mechanism to cause un- coated tool wear, while abrasive wear and delamination wear are the main mechanism to cause coated tool wear. Stress and temperature distribution in FEM simulation help to understand the wear mechanism including the reason for coat- ing peeled off.

Wear characteristics of Ⅴ shape diamond tool for micro prism pattern with Al alloys

The ultra-precision machining process using a single crystal diamond tool has been mainly used for machining molds of optical components.Since the micro patterns of various shapes having excellent surface roughness can be machined by using ultra-precision machine tools,the micro pattern on a large light guide plate (LGP) is mainly machined using a diamond tool.The tool wear occurs due to long machining distances and time while machining a large-area LGP mold.The deformation and dimensional error of micro pattern are caused by tool wear,as a result,the light efficiency of LGP declines.The characteristics of tool wear should be analyzed in order to precisely machine large-area LGP mold from all sorts of materials.The experiments were performed in order to compare wear characteristics of a V90° diamond tool using Al3003,5052,6061 and 7075.The prism pattern of depth 10 μm was machined in order to analyze characteristics of tool wear according to machining distances (0.5,1 and 1.5 km).The effects of tool wear on pattern shape were analyzed by applying overlapped cutting depths (Rough machining is (10+8+7) μm and Finish machining is (5+3+2+1) μm) by continuously machining a prism pattern of W shape of 25 μm in depth.

Online tool-wear measurement of small-diameter end mills based on machine vision

The objective of this study was to develop an online tool-wear-measurement scheme for small diameter end-mills based on machine vision to increase tool life and the production efficiency. The geometrical features of wear zone of each end mill were analyzed, and three tool wear criterions of small-diameter end mills were defined. With the uEye camera, macro lens and 3-axis micro milling machine, it was proved the feasibility of measuring flank wear with the milling tests on a 45# steel workpiece. The design of experiment （DOE） showed that Vc was the most remarkable effect factor for the flank wear of small-diameter end mill. The wear curve of the experiments of milling was very similar to the Taylor curve.

Microstructure and wear properties of YT758/CuZnNi hardfacing materials

Hardfacing materials containing YT758 hardmetal particles cemented by Cu-based alloy was deposited on the substrate to produce milling tools by oxy-acetylene flame process. Microstructure and wear properties of the hardfacing layers were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and electron dispersion X-ray spectroscopy(EDXS) and wear test. The results show that inter-diffusion zone is found at the interface of YT758/CuZnNi, which promises to improve the bonding strength of YT758/CuZnNi. The wear resistance of YT758/CuZnNi hardfacing layers is higher than that of YG8/CuZnNi hardfacing layers. The working efficiency of the milling tools strengthened by YT758/CuZnNi is approximately 23 times higher than that strengthened by YG8/CuZnNi.

Tool Wear Estimate in Milling Operation by FEM

Many researches show that, in metal cutting process, tool wear rate depends on some cutting process parameters, such as temperature at tool face, contact pressure and relative sliding velocity at tool/chip and tool/workpiece interfaces. Finite element method(FEM) application enables the estimate of these parameters and the tool wear. A tool wear estimate program based on chip formation and heat transfer analysis is designed and compiled with Python to calculate the wear rate and volume, and update tool geometry according to the tool wear. The progressive flank and crater wears in milling operation are estimated by the program. The FEM code ABAQUS/Explicit and Standard are employed to analyze chip formation and heat transfer process.

MILLER WEAR IN MILLING Ti ALLOY WITH NITROGEN GAS MEDIA

Milling Ti alloy is a very difficult technology. The primary problem is that the miller wear is very rapid and makes the miller break or rapture. Although cutting fluid is mainly used to reduce friction and temperature in cutting area to enhance tool life, it is the largest source of environmental pollution. To develop a technology for the clean and efficient milling Ti alloys, nitrogen gas is used as a cutting media in this paper. Based on lots of experiments and researches, the tool life and wear mechanism of high speed steel miller is analyzed. A conclusion is drawn that, milling with nitrogen gas media yields much longer tool life than dry milling. Tool life equations (Taylor′s equations) are derived for both milling types.

Development of a 2D Vibration Stage for Vibration-assisted Micro-milling

Vibration-assisted machining(VAM) has the advantages of extending tool life,reducing cutting force and improving the surface finish.Implementation of vibration assistance with high frequency and amplitude is still a challenge,especially for a micro-milling process.In this paper,a new 2D vibration stage for vibration-assisted micro-milling is developed.The kinematics of the milling process with vibration assistance is modeled,and the effects of vibration parameters on the periodic tool-workpiece separation(TWS) is analyzed.The structure of the vibration stage is designed with flexure hinges,and two piezoelectric actuators are used to drive the stage in two directions.An amplifier is integrated into the vibration stage,and the dynamics of the whole vibration system are identified and analyzed.Micro-milling experiments are conducted to determine the effects of vibration assistance on cutting force and surface quality.

HIGH SPEED MILLING OF GRAPHITE ELECTRODE WITH ENDMILL OF SMALL DIAMETER

Graphite becomes the prevailing electrode material in electrical discharging machining （EDM）currently.Orthogonal cutting experiments are carried out to study the characteristics of graphite chip formation process.High speed milling experiments are conducted to study tool wear and cutting forces.The results show that depth of cut has great influence on graphite chip formation.The removal process of graphite in high speed milling is the mutual result of cutting and grinding process. Graphite is prone to cause severe abrasion wear to coated carbide endmills due to its high abrasiveness nature.The major patterns of tool wear are flank wear,rake wear,micro-chipping and breakage. Cutting forces can be reduced by adoption of higher cutting speed,moderate feed per tooth,smaller radial and axial depths of cut,and up cutting.

Improving energy utilization efficiency of electrical discharge milling in titanium alloys machining

Electrical discharge milling(ED-milling) can be a good choice for titanium alloys machining and it was proven that its machining efficiency can be improved to compete with mechanical cutting. In order to improve energy utilization efficiency of ED-milling process, unstable arc discharge and stable arc discharge combined with normal discharge were implemented for material removal by adjusting servo control strategy. The influence of electrode rotating speed and dielectric flushing pressure on machining performance was investigated by experiments. It was found that the rotating of electrode could move the position of discharge plasma channel, and high pressure flushing could wash melted debris out the discharge gap effectively. Both electrode rotating motion and high pressure flushing are contributed to the improvement of machining efficiency.