Cutting edge damage in grinding of cemented carbides micro end mills

Micro mills are widely applied in the micro manufacturing and mainly fabricated using the grinding method. Cutting edges have significant influences on the performance of micro mills such as the micro mill life and machining quality. In this paper, the cutting edge damage mechanisms in the grinding of cemented carbides micro mills are investigated. The micro end mills grinding experiments are carried out and the cutting edge maximum edge damage width and surface roughness of the end teeth flank are measured. The results show that the micro fractures and micro cracks are generated in the cutting edge following micro pits in the grinding surface. The grain size and composition of cemented carbides have significant impacts on the damage of the cutting edge. The maximum edge damage width increases with the increase of Co binder content and WC grain sizes. However, a better flank quality with less micro pits is obtained as the reduction of Co binder content and grain size of WC.