Investigating Nozzle Design for Cutting Fluid Supply During Inconel 718 Turning With CBN-Tools

The machining of difficult-to-cut materials, such as nickel-based alloys and high-alloy steels, is usually assisted by cutting fluid. In addition to the commonly used flood cooling, high-pressure cutting fluid supply offers great potential for further increasing tool life and process reliability. Although the positive effect of high-pressure cooling has been confirmed in a large number of studies, the relevant cutting fluid setting parameters such as nozzle cross-section area and supply pressure, and their influence on the process results have so far been insufficiently investigated. Against this background, a prototype tool holder was designed and additively manufactured in this work. The tool holder allows to vary the nozzle cross-section area without changing the cooling channels and the inclination of the nozzles. Experimental results revealed the optimal cross-section area of the rake face nozzle for the investigated process. It was also shown that although flank face cooling is necessary for the turning process, improper setting of the flank face nozzles can lead to a reduction in tool life.