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.