High Performance Machining

Follow this page Email this page Print this page Give feedback Prof Luis Norberto Lopez de Lacalle University of the Basque Country, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao Last updated on 25 September 2008 1.HIGH PERFORMING AND HIGH SPEED MACHINING CONCEPTS These two terms are not exactly synonymous and in the last decade have been taken and affected by different nuances. The exact meaning of the same is set out below, and which at times complies simply with the usual inflation of terms derived from their commercial use. 1.1 High performance machining, a traditional or classical concept As published in books prior to 1980, high performance machining traditionally referred to that simultaneously applying great feeds and cutting depths, while maintaining cutting speeds considered conventional. Under these operating conditions, large chips arise as shown in Fig. 1 (right). This process should be carried out on machine tools with very powerful rigid headstocks. it is called High Removal Rate Machining, which is a more specific descriptive term than that understood by the vaguer high performance. Higher chip thicknesses than usual are generated by applying large feeds and great cutting depths. Cutting forces grow almost in direct proportion to the chipping section. Thus with this hypothesis we approach two kinds of problems: possible catastrophic tool failure ( breakage) due to high cutting forces or edge breakages at multiple points ( chipping). Therefore, this kind of machining is only applicable to soft materials as in the case of lightweight alloys, low resistance steels or steels prior to hardening through tempering. A typical case is the turning of large crankshafts and casting rollers on large powerful heavy-duty lathes. In this case large tool inserts are used as shown in Fig. 1 (left).

Fig.1 Left) Large turning tool inserts for large chip sections.Right) Large chip in turning. 1.2 High performance machining, current sense

Today in our context, the HPM (High Performance Machining) term is much more general referring to all kinds of cutting technology, substantially improving two aspects of the process: - Productivity measured as materail removal rate, i.e. the amount of material eliminated in a time unit. One should also ensure machining is done under conditions which do not lead to excessive tool wear and tear. - Quality with regard to greater dimensional precision and less surface roughness. Figure 2 shows a precision map for a test part machined at high speed, which served to detect a non-admissible error in machining.In the last 10 years there has been a minor revolution regarding improvement in processes and an increase in knowledge thereof. The reasons may be several: - Materials constituting manufactured components have higher mechanical features, leading almost always to lower machinability. A good example is the growing use of titanium, nickel and cobalt alloys (heat resistant), Csi infiltrated composites, etc. - Cutting tools have greatly improved in the last 10 years, with the appearance of new hard metal grades (sintered carbide), extrahard materials have been perfected (PCBN, and PCD). Tools tend to become ever more specialised in one application, abandoning their purpose of being applicable to many material groups. - Tool performance improvement has contributed decisively to new coating developments, ever harder and more resistant to high temperatures. TiAIN coating applied by PVD technology ( Physical Vapour Deposition) has been extremely important. - Detailed knowledge of processes and their modelisation has been proven to contribute to earning money, i.e. value is obtained from knowledge albeit it still limited. An example is preduction of milling stability conditions ( chatter study); after 30 years and numerous articles on chatter prediction, today there are companies and consultancies earning money with it. - In Europe,Asia, USA and of course Spain, the machine tool and manufacture by machining sector are very important, thus research resources have been assigned by companies and administrations. Furthermore, improvement in machinery and its process concerns both machine tool builders and suppliers likewise users thereof. Western industry tends to produce components with greater added value more and more; the term high performance refers to everything which contributes to increasing this value, either because it reduces production times and costs increases manufactured quality. Thus, today High Performance Machining is understood as everything which incorporates notable improvement with respect to traditional machining, increasing process added value both in productivity and quality. The machining term includes chipping process with defined cutting tool (milling, turning, drilling, sawing) with non-

defined edge or abrasives (grinding), and even non-conventional processes (electrodischarge, ultrasounics, etc).

Fig. 2 Chromatic precision map of machined shapes, performed by a coordinate measuring machine. CAD surface compared with the measured. 1.3 High speed machining This machining type is contrary to the aforementioned traditional concept. Chip section is maintained, i.e. feed per tooth and immersion conditions (radial and axial depths of cut) and to a great extent are even reduced, however, cutting speed is higher than usual. How much is it increased? There is no real academic response, however, it is understood to be higher than traditional (x10,x20,...) cutting speed. From the academic viewpoint one could say v c is increased to the point where the thermophysics of the chipping process varies considerably in relation to that of the conventional process. This definition implies one or several of these aspects: - The shearing process deformation speed occurring in the primary shearing area, exceeds 10 5 s -1. - Almost all the heat is evacuated with the chip, the process being close to adiabatic conditions regarding the material. Almost no heat is transmited to the tool, which is optimum in preventing its degradation. - The effect of chip direction change, which is the material kinetic momentum change, is appreciable and should be considered in the global energy balance.

With this definition we would find almost none of todays machining processes are high speed, when almost all machine offerers claim that what their milling machines allow is. Why the paradox? Its explanation can be found in the following section. We can advance that only in easily machinable lightweight alloys of magnesium or aluminium, the chipping process differs from that of conventional speeds. However, for this fact to be evident, cutting speeds must be much higher than those applied in todays industrial HSM processes, which must exceed a cutting speed of 2500 m/min. In the case of steels, castings, difficult-to-machine alloys, titanium, etc., even with todays cutting speeds being considerably higher than conventional, there is no great variation in intrinsic mechanisms (viscoplastic, thermal, etc.) associated with chipping.High Speed Machining will be abbreviated here to HSM. It should be remembered HSM is recognised worldwide even as a verb (its participle is HSMed) 1.4 High performance cutting Machine tool manfacturers coined the term HPC ( High Perfomance Cutting) for lightweight alloy cutting combining high chip section and spindle speeds around 20,000 rpm, which usually gives a cutting speed of 1000-2000 m/min. These alloys are relatively soft and easily machinable thus the process is perfectly viable. 2. HIGH SPEED MACHINING CONCEPT FOR DIFFERENT MATERIALS The first question is what does one understand by high speed machining. In innumerable articles reference is made to historical theories regarding temperature reduction with high speed cutting as described by Carl Salomon, who patented the process in the 1920s ( German patent #523594). It is also common to find ballistic references consisting of firing projectiles against materials to simulate material deformation at high cutting speeds like those of Kronenberg in the 1960s. There are also complex discussions related to chipping under different thermophysical conditions depending on the cutting speed magnitude. Each definition has its own nuances and motivation, valid within a certain application range. In almost all high speed reports, the same generalities are repeated (copying or inspiration among authors is evident), many of which use the Solomon curves. You have to remember Solomon put forward his idea almost 15 years prior to modern cutting models, thus it was a highly intuitive invention. He performed milling experiments at speeds over 15,000 m/min. To sum up this patent put forward: tool temperature and wear increase with cutting speed until reaching a maximum value called critical speed, from they decrease with speed. Critical speed depends on material, as shown in Fig. 3. Thus results will be optimum when machining above this value. Today we know temperature and wear always increase, although they tend to stabilise when cutting speed is high enough. The McGee (1979) curve is considered more appropriate for aluminium, although it is just one more obtained by different researchers.

Fig.3 Solomon Curves. Regarding other materials, it is difficult to verify whether machining steels withstands speeds of 1700 m/min well, because prior to reaching these values, the tools break, As we see in the figure, the HSS rapid steel only withstands up to 650C, and the hard metal tool approximately 850C. Forgetting the generalities which are always repeated and whose repetition sometimes only manages to this kind of high speed term magic halo, cutting values understood today as high speed are reflected in Fig. 4, with orientative cutting speed in each case. To reach these speeds machines capable of doing so are required, since they may be limited by their construction and above all by main motion (spindle). As can be seen there is an area (marked in red) where the machine to be used is high speed, coinciding with todays industrial offer of this type of machine. Another area (in blue) requires a very high speed machine which although extant today is still in the prototype phase. F6.4 High speed range in cutting different materials. continue reading

High Performance Machining

Follow this page Email this page Print this page Give feedback Prof Luis Norberto Lopez de Lacalle University of the Basque Country, Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao

Last updated on 25 September 2008 1.HIGH PERFORMING AND HIGH SPEED MACHINING CONCEPTS These two terms are not exactly synonymous and in the last decade have been taken and affected by different nuances. The exact meaning of the same is set out below, and which at times complies simply with the usual inflation of terms derived from their commercial use. 1.1 High performance machining, a traditional or classical concept As published in books prior to 1980, high performance machining traditionally referred to that simultaneously applying great feeds and cutting depths, while maintaining cutting speeds considered conventional. Under these operating conditions, large chips arise as shown in Fig. 1 (right). This process should be carried out on machine tools with very powerful rigid headstocks. it is called High Removal Rate Machining, which is a more specific descriptive term than that understood by the vaguer high performance. Higher chip thicknesses than usual are generated by applying large feeds and great cutting depths. Cutting forces grow almost in direct proportion to the chipping section. Thus with this hypothesis we approach two kinds of problems: possible catastrophic tool failure ( breakage) due to high cutting forces or edge breakages at multiple points ( chipping). Therefore, this kind of machining is only applicable to soft materials as in the case of lightweight alloys, low resistance steels or steels prior to hardening through tempering. A typical case is the turning of large crankshafts and casting rollers on large powerful heavy-duty lathes. In this case large tool inserts are used as shown in Fig. 1 (left).

Fig.1 Left) Large turning tool inserts for large chip sections.Right) Large chip in turning.