Cutting performance of different coated micro end mills in machining of Ti-6Al-4V

Zhiqiang Liang, Peng Gao*, Xibin Wang, Shidi Li, Tianfeng Zhou, Junfeng Xiang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Tool wear is a significant issue for the application of micro end mills. This can be significantly improved by coating materials on tool surfaces. This paper investigates the effects of different coating materials on tool wear in the micro milling of Ti-6Al-4V. A series of cutting experiments were conducted. The tool wear and workpiece surface morphology were investigated by analyzing the wear of the end flank surface and the total cutting edge. It was found that, without coating, serious tool wear and breakage occurred easily during milling. However, AlTiN-based and AlCrN-based coatings could highly reduce cutting edge chipping and flank wear. Specifically, The AlCrN-based coated mill presented less fracture resistance. For TiN coated micro end mill, only slight cutting edge chipping occurred. Compared with other types of tools, the AlTiN-based coated micro end mill could maximize tool life, bringing about an integrated cutting edges with the smallest surface roughness. In short, the AlTiN-based coating material is recommended for the micro end mill in the machining of Ti-6Al-4V.

Original languageEnglish
Article number568
JournalMicromachines
Volume9
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2 Nov 2018

Keywords

  • Coating materials
  • Micro end milling
  • Ti-6Al-4V
  • Tool wear

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