Cutting-Tool Materials
There are 4 factors that should be considered when we choose each
cutting-tool.
1.Hardness, hardness at high temperature so the tools can still maintain
strenght in cutting operation.
2.Toughness, the tool must not be broken.
3.Wear resistance, so the cutting tool has long life and doesn’t need to be
resharpened or replaced frequently.
4.Chemical stability, the material of the cutting-tool and workpiece must not
have some any reaction that can wear the workpiece or cutting-tool.
Carbon and medium-alloy steels
Carbon steels are the oldest tool materials and have been used since
the 1880s.
Low-alloy and medium-alloy steels were developed later for similar
applications but with longer tool life.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Easily shaped and sharpened
Cons
- Does not have sufficient hot hardness
- Does not have enough wear resistance for cutting at high speeds
So, the use of these steels is limited to low-cutting operations.
High-speed steels
High-speed steels were developed to cut at high speeds. They are the most
highly alloyed of tool steels.
Pros
- can be hardened to various depths
- have good wear resistance
- are relatively inexpensive
Because of their high toughness and resistance of fracture, highspeed steels
are especially suitable for high positive-rake-angle tools (small included
angle)
and for machine tools with low stiffness that are subject to vibration and
chatter. There are two basic types of high-speed steels: molybdenum (M
series) and tungsten (T series)
Cast-cobalt alloys
Have high hardness, have good wear resistance and maintain their
hardness at elevated temperatures. Commonly known as Stellite tools. Not
as good as high-speed steel. Used only for special applications
Carbides (Cemented or sintered carbides)
Attribute
- Have high hardness over a wide range of temperatures
- High elastic modulus and thermal conductivity
- Low thermal expansion
Carbides are the most important tool and dying materials. The two
basic groups of carbides used for machining operations are tungsten
carbide and titanium carbide.
tungsten carbide (WC)
generally used for cutting nonferrous abrasive
materials and cast irons
It is a composite material, consisting of tungsten-
carbide particles bonded together in a cobalt matrix
(cemented carbides).
titanium carbide (TiC)
Has higher wear resistance than tungsten carbide
but is not as tough.
TiC is suitable for machining hard materials (steels,
cast iron)
Cutting at speeds higher than those for tungsten
carbide.
The strength of the cutting edge of
an insert depends on its shape. The
smaller the angle, the less strength the
edge has.
Coated tool
Coated tools have reduced cutting time some 4 times. They are now being
used for cutting operations, with tool life as much as 10 times that of
uncoated tools.
Coating materials commonly used are titanium nitride, titanium carbide, and
ceramics, generally 5-10 m in thickness.
General characteristics:
a. High hardness at elevated temperatures.
b. Chemical stability and inertness to the workpiece material.
c. Low thermal conductivity.
d. Good bonding to the substrate to prevent flanking or spalling.
e. Little or no porosity.
Titanium-nitride (TiN)
Pros
have low coefficient of friction
high hardness
resistance to high temperature
perform well at higher cutting speeds and feeds.
Cons
Coated tools do not perform as well at low cutting speeds
Ceramics
These tool materials consist primarily of fine-grained, high-purity
aluminum oxide. They are cold pressed under high pressure, sintered at high
temperature, and called white, or cold-pressed, ceramics.
Black, or hot pressed, ceramics typically contain 70 percent aluminum
oxide and 30 percent titanium carbide, and are also called cermets (from
ceramic and metal)
Pros
have very high abrasion resistance
have high hot hardness
have less tendency to adhere to metals during cutting and hence less
tendency to form a built-up edge
effective in very high speed, uninterrupted cutting operations
Silicon nitride
Silicon-nitride (SiN) base tool materials consist of silicon nitride with
various addition of aluminum oxide, yttrium oxide, and titanium carbide.
Pros
have high toughness
have high hot hardness
good thermal –shock resistance
Cons
SiN-base tools are not suitable for machining steels because of
chemical affinity.
Diamond
Pros
has low friction
high wear resistance
ability to maintain a sharp cutting edge
It is used when good surface finish and dimensional accuracy are required,
particularly with soft nonferrous alloys and abrasive nonmetallic materials.
Low rake angles are normally used to provide a strong cutting edge because
diamond is brittle.
Single-crystal diamond tools have been largely replaced by polycrystalline-
diamond tools (compacts).
Diamond tools can be used satisfactorily at almost any speed, but are
suitable mostly for light, uninterrupted finishing cuts.
