Pieter Conradie

Effect of milling strategy and tool geometry on machining cost when cutting titanium alloys

The growing demands on aerospace manufacturers to cut more difficult-to-machine materials at increasing material removal rates require that manufacturers enhance their machining capability. This requires a better understanding of the effects of milling strategies and tool geometries on cutting performance. Ti6Al4V is the most widely-used titanium alloy in the aerospace industry, due to its unique combination of properties. These properties also make the alloy very challenging to machine. Complex aerospace geometries necessitate large material removal, and are therefore generally associated with high manufacturing costs. To investigate the effect of milling strategy and tool geometry on cutting performance, the new constant engagement milling strategy was firstly compared with a conventional approach. Thereafter, a component was milled with different cutting tool geometries. Cost savings of more than 40% were realised by using a constant engagement angle milling strategy. A reduction of 38% in machining time was achieved by using tools with a land on the rake side of the cutting edge. These incremental improvements made it possible to enhance the overall performance of the cutting process.

THE EFFECT OF CUTTING PARAMETERS ON SURFACE INTEGRITY IN MILLING TI6AL4V

The objective of machining performance is to reduce operational costs and to increase the production rate while maintaining or improving the required surface integrity of the machined component. Together with industrial partners, several benchmark titanium components were selected and machined to achieve this. Titanium alloys are used extensively in several industries due to its unique strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. Its properties, however, also make it susceptible to surface integrity damage during machining operations. The research objectives of this study were to understand the effect of cutting parameters on surface integrity to ensure that machined components are within the required surface quality tolerances. The effect of cutting speed and feed rate on surface roughness, micro-hardness, and the microstructure of the work piece were studied for milling Ti6Al4V. The surface roughness increased with a greater feed rate and a decrease in cutting speed. The maximum micro-hardness was 23 per cent harder than the bulk material. Plastic deformation and grain rotation below the machined surface were found with the rotation of the grain lines in the direction of feed. There was no evidence of subsurface defects for any of the cutting conditions tested.

Comparative assessment of process combination for Ti6Al4V components

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the combination of selective laser melting (SLM) and 5-axis CNC milling to produce parts from titanium powder. The aim is to achieve a more resource-efficient manufacturing process by reducing material wastage and machining time, while adhering to quality requirements. Design/methodology/approach A benchmark titanium aerospace component is manufactured with two different approaches using subtractive and additive manufacturing technologies. The first component is produced from a solid billet using only 5-axis CNC milling. The second component is grown from powder using SLM to produce a net-shaped part of which the final shape and part accuracy are achieved through 5-axis CNC milling. The potential saving of material and machining time of the process combination is evaluated by comparing it to the conventional purely CNC approach. The form accuracy, surface finish, mechanical properties and tool wear for the two processes are also compared. Findings The results show that the process combination can be used to produce Ti components that adhere to aerospace standards. With the process combination, a material saving of 87 per cent was achieved along with a reduction of 21 per cent in machining time. Further improvements are possible using optimized SLM build and machining strategies. Originality/value This paper presents the results of a resource efficiency assessment on the combination of SLM and 5-axis CNC milling for the titanium alloy, Ti6Al4V. It is expected that this process combination can make a significant contribution towards reducing material wastage and machining time for aerospace applications.