Machinability Study in MicroTurning of PA66 GF30 Polyamide with a PCD Tool

The polyamides have replaced many metallic materials due to excellent properties. The glass fibers are added to unreinforced polyamides to improve the mechanical as well as thermal properties. Even though the polyamides are produced as near net shapes, the machining has to be performed to meet the dimensional requirements and the assembly needs. The microturning is a conventional material removal process, which has been miniaturized. This study attempts to evaluate the micromachinability of reinforced polyamide with 30% of glass fibers (PA66 GF30) turning using a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tool. The experiments were planned as per full factorial design of experiments (FFD). The effects of cutting speed and feed rate on cutting force, surface roughness, specific cutting force, and power were studied by developing second order mathematical models using response surface methodology (RSM). The parametric analysis reveals that cutting force, surface roughness, and power increase with feed rate, while specific cutting force decreases with increase in feed rate.