A Aramcharoen

Impact of Machine Tools on the Direct Energy and Associated Carbon Emissions for a Standardized NC Toolpath

In mechanical machining, significant energy use can be linked to carbon emissions and an increase in manufacturing cost. When machining a given component, the basic energy state dominates the total energy footprint as compared to tool-tip energy. Thus, the choice of machine tool is an important consideration in reducing the energy demand per product machined. In this work, a standardized NC toolpath was milled on machine tools in Singapore and the UK. The work significantly contributes to the knowledge on energy intensity in machining and the associated carbon dioxide emissions by presenting the impact of machine tools and geographical location.

The Effect of AlCrTiN Coatings on Product Quality in Micro-milling of 45 HRC Hardened H13 Die Steel

The market for micro components is predicted to experience a phenomenal growth in the coming years. Micro milling has been identified as a key technology for micro fabrication especially of micro moulds and dies. However, this demanding application requires the use of advanced micro tooling solutions especially coated tools. In microscale milling; grain size, phase effects and the balance between tool edge radius and undeformed chip thickness, all influence the cutting process. In this paper, high aluminium content, AlCrTiN coating is evaluated in terms of its technological contribution to tool wear reduction, surface quality and burr minimisation in dry milling of H13 tool steel. Thus, the paper presents the scientific contribution of AlCrTiN to the microscale machinability of die steel.

Evaluation of critical parameters in micro machining of hardened tool steel

Micro mechanical milling plays a significant role in fabrication of miniature features in a variety of materials with capability for producing three dimensional (3D) freeform surfaces. A major challenge for micro machining of hardened material is a high tool wear rate and unpredictable tool life. In addition, surface roughness and burr formation are factors to be closely controlled. In this paper, the statistical analysis of critical parameters for micro milling of hardened tool steel is presented. The parameters included spindle speed, depth of cut, ratio of undeformed chip thickness to cutting edge radius and lubrication/environment conditions. The significance of these parameters on surface finish, burr formation and tool wear are reported. The study shows that machining environment is the most significant factor in controlling surface finish and tool wear. While, selection of appropriate spindle speed and the ratio of undeformed chip thickness to cutting edge radius is more critical in limiting burr size. The work reported in this paper is important, because industry needs to know key process variables (KPVs) that are critical in the control of micro machining performance. Additionally, the methodology enabled identification of optimum cutting values for these cutting parameters within the identified process window.

An experimental study of micromilling of polymer materials for microfluidic applications

Micro mechanical milling is one of the processes that can be used in microfluidic devices fabrication. It has shown the capability for producing the free form geometries, cost and time effectively. This paper presents the cutting strategies for micro milling process of polycarbonate (PC) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) materials for an application of microfluidic chips. The proposed strategies demonstrated the capability of micro milling process to fabricate microfluidic chip with microchannel and micropillar array from biocompatible polymer materials with good machined surface quality and high aspect ratio of up to three.