Performance of cryogenically treated tungsten carbide tools in milling operations

This paper describes a study on the effects of cryogenic treatment of tungsten carbide. Cryogenic treatment has been acknowledged by some as a means of extending the tool life of many cutting tool materials, but little is known about the mechanism behind it. Thus far, the only few detailed studies conducted pertain to the cryogenic treatment of tool steels. However, tungsten carbide cutting tools are now in common use in industry. This paper primarily reports and analyses the differences in tool performance between cryogenically treated and untreated tungsten carbide tool inserts during the high-speed milling of medium carbon steel. In addition to dry cutting, machining with coolant was also tested. From the results, it can be seen that cryogenically treated tools exhibit better tool wear resistance than untreated ones. Also, it is evident that the application of coolant during cutting helps to reduce tool wear experienced by the cryogenically treated tools even further. In addition, cryogenically treated tools are found to perform best under a particular set of cutting conditions.