Do You Know the Know-how for Processing Titanium Alloys?
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Do You Know the Know-how for Processing Titanium Alloys?
In the previous article “Why is Titanium Alloy a Difficult-To-Process Material?“, we learned that heat is the main reason why titanium alloys are difficult to process. On the basis of understanding the processing mechanism of titanium alloy, plus previous experience, the main process know-how for processing titanium alloy is as follows.
- Use positive inserts to reduce the cutting force, cutting heat and workpiece deformation.
- Keep a constant feed speed to avoid hardening of the workpiece. The cutting tool must always be in the feed state during the cutting process, and the radial tool engagement ae during milling should be 30% of the radius.
- High-pressure and large-flow cutting fluid is used to ensure the thermal stability of the machining process and prevent surface degeneration and tool damage caused by excessive temperature.
- Keep the cutting edge of the insert sharp. Blunt tools are the cause of heat build-up and wear, which can easily lead to tool failure.
- Work in the softest state of the titanium alloy as much as possible, because the material becomes more difficult to work after hardening. Heat treatment increases the strength of the material and increases the wear of the insert.
- Use a large arc radius or chamfer to cut in, and put as much cutting edge as possible into the cutting. This can reduce the cutting force and heat at every point and prevent local damage. When milling titanium alloys, among the cutting parameters, the cutting speed has the greatest impact on the tool life vc, followed by the radial tool engagement (milling depth) ae.
- Solve the problem of titanium processing from the insert. The insert groove wear that occurs during titanium alloy processing is the local wear along with the depth of cut at the back and front, and it is often caused by the hardened layer left by the previous processing. The chemical reaction and diffusion of the tool and the workpiece material at a processing temperature of over 800°C are also one of the reasons for the formation of groove wear. Because during the processing, the titanium molecules of the workpiece accumulate in the front area of the insert and are “welded” to the insert under high pressure and high temperature, forming a built-up edge. When the built-up edge peels off from the cutting edge, the coating of the carbide insert is taken away. Therefore, titanium alloy processing requires special insert material and geometry.
- Tool structure suitable for titanium machining. The focus of titanium alloy processing is heat. A large amount of high pressure cutting fluid must be sprayed on the cutting edge in time and accurately to quickly remove the heat. There is a unique structure of milling cutter specially used for titanium alloy processing on the market.
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