Tool Wear in Ultra-Precision Diamond Cutting of Non-Ferrous Metals with a Round-Nose Tool

Tool wear causes the loss of the original profile accuracy of the cutting edge and degrades the form accuracy of machined surfaces. The purpose of this research is to clarify the tool-wear mechanism and its effect on machining accuracy in ultra-precision diamond cutting with a round-nose tool. Controlled cutting tests of Al 6061 were performed on a two-axis, ultra-precision turning machine. Single-crystal diamond tools were used in the experiment. The tool-wear pattern was studied based on the observation of the wear zone using a scanning electron microscope. The topographic characteristics of the chips were examined and the effect of the micro-cutting geometry on the tool wear was investigated theoretically and experimentally. The mutual effects of crystallographic dependence of wear resistance of diamonds and the change in the cutting velocity during machining are believed to be the main reasons causing uneven wear along the cutting edge. Measures for reducing the effect of tool wear are also discussed.     

Microgrooving on electroless nickel plated materials using a single crystal diamond tool

Diamond tools are used in ultra precision machining for their outstanding hardness and crystalline structure, which enable the fabrication of very sharp cutting edges. Single crystal diamond tools are thus extremely useful to machine electroless nickel-plated dies which are generally used for making molds for optical components. This paper deals with the objective to evaluate the performance and suitability of a single crystal diamond tool during microgrooving on electroless nickel plated workpieces. Effects of different machining parameters on overall machining performance were also investigated. The experimental results revealed that long distance (50 km) machining of microgrooves on electroless nickel is possible with a single crystal diamond tool without any significant tool wear. Some groove wear on the rake face were found after machining 28.5 km. No evidence of chipping or wear had been observed on the flank face during the total machining length. The surface roughness range of the machined workpieces was found to be 4–6 nm. Both thrust and cutting components of the machining forces showed an increasing trend with increasing machining distance, though magnitude of the thrust forces were found to increase more than the cutting forces.     

Ultraprecision turning of electroless nickel: effects of crystal orientation and origin of diamond tools

This paper deals with (i) the performance of natural and artificial diamond tools and (ii) the effects of crystal orientations at rake face of diamond tool for long distance (>200 km) ultraprecision machining of electroless nickel. The criteria for cutting performance of the diamond tool include flank wear, crater wear, workpiece surface finish, and cutting forces. Experimental results show that the natural diamond tool has superior performance compared to the artificial one as it experienced lower cutting forces and lower flank and crater wears. It was also found that the cutting tool with {110} crystal orientation at rake face performs better than the tool with {100} crystal orientation in terms of amount of wear, surface finish, and cutting forces.     

Wear characteristics of diamond tool in ultraprecision raster milling

Ultraprecision freeform raster milling is a very complex machining process, and long machining time is used for small components. Therefore, the diamond tool wear is a crucial factor that not only raises the machining cost but also limits the cutting performance in ultraprecision raster milling. In this paper, the methods of process monitoring and wear evaluating of single-crystal diamond tools during the raster milling of copper are studied in two types of cutting environment: with lubrication and without lubrication. Experimental results indicate that the impact and free vibration are important dynamic characteristics in raster milling process that result in the obvious microchipping wear on the cutting edge.     

PCD刀具切削颗粒增强铝基复合材料时刀具磨损研究

通过高颗粒含量铝基复合材料切削加工时PCD刀具的磨损试验,研究了切削该种材料时PCD刀具的磨损形态及磨损机理。刀具磨损区微观形貌的检测分析结果表明,PCD刀具的磨损形态主要表现为前刀面磨损和后刀面磨损,造成刀具磨损的主要原因是磨料磨损和粘结磨损。采用超声波振动切削技术可减小刀具磨损。     

现代刀具材料系列讲座（十一）超硬刀具材料—金则石与立方氮化硼

介绍了超硬刀具材料（金刚石与立方氮化硼）在加工不同工件材料时的切削数据。工件材料包括各种难加工材料与有色金属。文中列出较多的试验数据和曲线,阐述了超硬刀具的切削性能和切削机理。     

Suppression of tool damage in ultraprecision diamond machining of stainless steel by applying electron-beam-excited plasma nitriding

Mirror surface machining of stainless steel with single-crystalline diamond tools is proposed in this study by applying a new nitriding method, called electron-beam-excited-plasma (EBEP) nitriding, to workpiece surfaces as pretreatment. It is well known that mirror surface finish of steel workpieces by conventional diamond cutting is unachievable owing to rapid tool wear. Nitriding of steel workpieces has been one of the several attempts to prevent the rapid tool wear of diamond tools. It has been reported that the rapid tool wear is caused by thermochemical interaction between diamond and steel, and that the wear can be greatly reduced by nitriding of steel. However, hard compounds formed on the outmost surfaces of workpieces by the conventional nitriding methods can cause micro-chippings of cutting tools. The authors has recently developed a new nitriding method called EBEP nitriding, in which a high dissociation rate for nitrogen molecules is achieved using the electron-beam-excited-plasma, and iron-compounds-free nitriding has been realized. Therefore, the EBEP nitriding is applied to a typical mold material, modified AISI 420 stainless steel, aiming at suppressing the micro-chippings as well as the thermochemical tool wear during diamond cutting of the stainless steel. The conventional ion nitriding and the gas nitrocarburizing are also applied to the same stainless steel in comparison. Chemical components of the nitrided workpiece surfaces are analyzed by an electron prove micro-analyzer (EPMA) and an X-ray diffraction (XRD) in advance, and turning experiments are conducted with single-crystalline diamond tools. Subsequently, changes in cutting forces and roughness of finished surfaces and tool damages after the turning experiments are evaluated. Finally, mirror surface machining by using the EBEP nitriding is demonstrated, and its advantages and disadvantages in the diamond cutting of stainless steel are summarized in comparison with the conventional nitriding methods.     

Improvements in the thread cutting torque for a 6082-T6 aluminum-based alloy with tapping tools utilizing diamond coating

The use of thin film diamond as a hard tool coating offers a significant wear protection in numerous machining operations and increases considerably tool's lifetime. The extreme hardness of the diamond is especially needed in machining highly abrasive materials such as aluminum-silicon alloys. Tapping is widely used for thread fabrication and it is often a time consuming process causing a delay on an automated production line. This study investigated diamond coatings in thread cutting and the aim was to gain knowledge about the performance of diamond-coated taps. PVD diamond coatings were deposited using ultra short pulsed laser deposition (USPLD) techniques. Another type of nanodiamond coating was a chrome-nanodiamond (CND) coating deposited by a two-phase electrochemical process to produce a metal matrix with embedded detonation nanodiamond (DND) particles. The main points were the analysis of tool torques of the thread machining data, sticking of aluminum alloy and wear behavior and mechanism of tested tapping tools. The tested tools were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) regarding tool wear and sticking of aluminum on tool surface caused by mechanical interaction. Coating approaches turned out to provide 13–30% improvements in cutting and 37–51% improvements in reversing for overall mean torques compared to uncoated reference tools.     

Wear Characteristics of Diamond Tools in Machining Ceramics

Wear characteristics of natural diamonds used to machine ceramic materials at a depth of cut of 2 μm and a speed of 1600 m/min were investigated. The diamond tools used for the machining tests were inspected using the Laue back reflection technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Wear characteristics of the diamond tools appeared to be influenced by the material properties of the ceramics being machined, the build-up on the tips of the diamond tools, and the crystallographic orientations of the diamond crystals. Three wear patterns were identified: single-flat wear, double-flat wear, and micro-chipping wear. The single-flat and double-flat wear patterns were primarily observed in machining silicon nitride and alumina; the microchipping wear pattern was observed in machining silicon carbide. The wear rate for the microchipping pattern was found to be one to two orders of magnitude higher than those for other wear patterns. Silicon nitride wore the diamond tools faster than alumina did; however, it often formed built-up lips which reduced the wear of the diamond tools.     

Cutting forces,tool wear and surface finish in high speed diamond machining

We have investigated the cutting forces, the tool wear and the surface finish obtained in high speed diamond turning and milling of OFHC copper, brass CuZn39Pb3, aluminum AlMg5, and electroless nickel. In face turning experiments with constant material removal rate the cutting forces were recorded as a function of cutting speed between v_c = 150 m/min and 4500 m/min revealing a transition to adiabatic shearing which is supported by FEM simulations of the cutting process. Fly-cutting experiments carried out at low (v_c = 380 m/min) and at high cutting speed (v_c = 3800 m/min) showed that the rate of abrasive wear of the cutting edge is significantly higher at ordinary cutting speed than at high cutting speed in contrast to the experience made in conventional machining. Furthermore, it was found that the rate of chemically induced tool wear in diamond milling of steel is decreasing with decreasing tool engagement time per revolution. High speed diamond machining may also yield an improved surface roughness which was confirmed by comparing the step heights at grain boundaries obtained in diamond milling of OFHC copper and brass CuZn39Pb3 at low (v_c = 100 m/min) and high cutting speed (v_c = 2000 m/min). Thus, high speed diamond machining offers several advantages, let alone a major reduction of machining time.     

EFFECT OF CUTTING SPEED AND SURFACE CHEMISTRY OF CUTTING TOOLS ON THE FORMATION OF BUL OR BUE AND SURFACE QUALITY OF THE GENERATED SURFACE IN DRY TURNING OF AA6005 ALUMINIUM ALLOY

In the present investigation, AA6005 (ISO: AlSiMg) alloy was machined in turning operation with different cutting tools, such as uncoated cemented carbide insert, PVD TiN coated, CVD diamond coated and PCD insert, under dry environment. Effect of cutting speed was studied for each of the cutting tools with regard to the formation of built-up layer (BUL) or built-up edge (BUE). The rake surface of the tools was characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopic microanalysis. Particular emphasis was given on wear mechanism of PVD TiN coated insert, conventionally used in machining ferrous alloys, during dry turning of AA6005 alloy. It has been observed that increase of cutting speed from 200 m/min to as high as 1000 m/min could not substantially reduce formation of BUL over tool rake surface during dry machining of AA6005 alloy with uncoated or PVD TiN coated cemented carbide inserts. The potential of diamond-based tools in dry machining of aluminium alloy was also studied. Finally, the effect of cutting speed on surface finish of the workpiece machined with different cutting tools was studied during dry turning of AA6005 alloy.     

Performance of single crystal diamond tools with different rake angles during micro-grooving on electroless nickel plated die materials

In this study, experiments were carried out to establish the effect of tool rake angle on the performance of single crystal diamond tools in micro-grooving of electroless nickel plated molding dies. Diamond tools with rake angles of 0⁰,+5⁰ and ?5⁰ were used in the study, and it was found that the diamond tool with 0⁰ rake angle has superior performance in terms of tool wear, cutting forces, and machined surface roughness. For a cutting distance of up to 11.69 km, the 0⁰ rake tool machined satisfactorily without any sign of tool wear while the tools with +5⁰ and ?5⁰ rake angles suffered from progressive wear with a corresponding increase in cutting forces. However, it was noted that despite the increase in wear on tools with +5⁰ and ?5⁰ rake angles, and cutting forces on the diamond tools with all three different rake angles did not significantly affect the surface roughness. The effects of various cutting parameters such as spindle speed and infeed rate on the cutting forces and surface roughness are also presented in the study. It was observed that cutting forces increase proportionately with spindle speed and infeed rate without any significant variation of surface roughness. Surface quality of up to 3 nm Ra was achieved during micro-grooving of electroless nickel.     

硬脆及黑色金属材料的单点金刚石车削加工技术综述

单点金刚石车削技术是产生纳米特征表面的光学元件重要制造工艺之一。此加工技术在空间科学、生物医学工程、军事、国防和光学等领域有着广泛的应用。然而,金刚石刀具在切削硬脆和黑色金属材料时受到限制,如刀具磨损加剧、刀具寿命缩短以及工件表面加工质量降低等。为了减少刀具磨损和提高工件表面加工质量,相关学者提出了不同的解决方案,将从单点金刚石车削辅助工艺、工件改性、刀具性能改善和超硬材料及刀具方面梳理面向提高硬脆和黑色金属材料加工质量的单点金刚石车削加工技术相关研究,分析当前各种加工技术的优势与局限,提出未来将多种能场辅助的单点金刚石车削技术和基于聚焦离子束改性的金刚石刀具技术作为研究的重点。     

现代刀具材料系列讲座(十) 超硬刀具材料——金刚石与立方氮化硼

介绍了超硬刀具材料(金刚石与立方氮化硼)在加工不同工件材料时的切削数据。工件材料包括铜、铝合金和一些难加工材料。文中列出较多的试验数据和曲线,阐述了超硬刀具的切削性能和切削机理。     

Single-point diamond turning of electroless nickel for flat X-ray mirror

X-ray mirrors require a super-smooth surface to prevent strong X-ray scattering. We examined the fabrication possibility of the X-ray mirror by single-point diamond turning (SPDT) for electroless nickel. The stable and unstable cutting modes for the electroless nickel were obtained by observing the relative position of a diamond tool for machining. A super-smooth surface of 0.95 nm rms was achieved within the stable cutting mode. The surface roughness of the electroless nickel mirror measured with an optical profiler was compared with the X-ray reflectivity measurement. The electroless nickel mirror could be successfully used as a soft X-ray reflector and a low-pass filter for the hard X-rays.     

镀膜金刚石在不同金属结合剂中的表现

制备8种不同的金属结合剂金刚石工具材料,研究表面镀膜的金刚石在不同结合剂中的表现.通过三点弯曲试验评价金刚石表面镀膜对抗弯强度的贡献,并借助扫描电子显微镜(Scanning electron microscope,SEM)和能谱分析仪(Energy dispersive spectrometer,EDS)分析,揭示金刚石与结合剂界面作用机制.通过锯切花岗石并在线测量锯切力和功率,研究金刚石表面镀膜对其耐磨性的影响.研究表明,镀膜对增强结合剂把持金刚石能力的贡献是肯定的,但是结合剂各金属组分间的结合对抗弯强度的影响大于结合剂与金刚石间的结合对抗弯强度的影响,因此对于不同的结合剂系统,金刚石节块的耐磨性能与其抗弯强度之间没有明确的对应关系.结合剂中的稀土添加剂以及基础结合剂中的主要成分直接影响镀膜金刚石的表现.     

Performance of diamonds as cutting tools for precision machining

Mechanical behaviour and properties of diamonds are more complex than is generally recognised. They have a significant influence on the performance of single crystal diamonds used in precision machining operations. This article relates such factors as crystallographic orientation, polishing methods, surface interactions between tool and workpiece, fracture, chipping, and fatigue to the use of diamond tooling     

Investigation of tool wear suppression in ultraprecision diamond machining of die steel

Rapid tool wear in diamond machining of steel can cause catastrophic failures. Despite several approaches to reducing tool wear, diamond machining of steel for industrial applications remains limited. We investigated two solutions, namely plasma nitriding treatment for workpiece surface modification and elliptical vibration cutting for cutting process modification, to determine their effect on reducing tool wear in diamond machining of AISI 4140 die steel. Furthermore, a new approach by combining the two solutions was also explored. Experimental results showed that diamond tool wear could be reduced by several orders of magnitude and mirror-quality surface can be obtained by using either the plasma nitriding treatment or the elliptical vibration cutting. However, in contrast to our expectations, combining the two solutions did not yield further improvement of either the surface finish or the reduction of tool wear compared with that of elliptical vibration cutting alone due to microchipping. Care has been taken to investigate the mechanism responsible for microchipping, and it was found that microchipping is highly dependent on the crystal orientation of the diamond. A diamond tool with the (1 1 0) plane as the rake face and the (1 0 0) plane as the flank face was more resistant to damage, and the microchipping induced in the combined cutting process was almost completely suppressed.     

The wear of diamond tools turning mild steel

Previous experiments on the wear of diamond tools turning mild steel have shown that the very high rates of wear of the diamond arise from the degeneration of the diamond to graphite, the details of the wear mechanisms depending on the cutting conditions. The present experiments on a larger number of tools show much greater differences in the wear rates of different diamonds than have been reported previously. It appears probable that these differences in wear rates arise from differences in the chemical constitution of the diamonds.