Pulsed Laser Surface Treatment for Improvement of Machinability

• Published in: Key Engineering Materials Vol. 725; pp. 641 - 646
• Main Authors: Inoue, Takuya, Yamada, Keiji, Tanaka, Ryutaro, Sekiya, Katsuhiko, Yamane, Yasuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Trans Tech Publications Ltd 15.12.2016
• Subjects: Bending; Cutting force; Deflection; Die steels; Lasers; Machinability; Pulsed lasers; Surface treatment; Nitrided; Machinability; Die Steel; Laser Surface Treatment
• ISBN: 9783035710243; 3035710244
• ISSN: 1013-9826; 1662-9795; 1662-9795
• DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.725.641

The surface of worn dies are often machined to remove the worn layer and then to re-form its shape. But, in machining operations for hardened materials, the high cutting force sometimes yields bending deflection of low stiffness tools, and results the decrease in productivity and accuracy.In this study, surface treatment by pulsed laser is applied for the high hardness materials to improve the machinability in the machining operation. Die steels are used as work material machined with ball endmills of carbide in the experiments where the cutting force and the actual depth of cut are measured to obtain the specific cutting energy and to evaluate the machinability. In endmilling operations of the nitrided die steels, the actual depth of cut is decreased by the bending deflection of endmill. However, the surface treatment with laser moderates the decreasing of the actual depth of cut. It is confirmed that the surface of workpiece pre-treated with laser has larger roughness than un-treated ones, and the specific cutting energy is decreased by laser surface pre-treatment.