Effects of Filler Concentration and Cutting Parameters on Material Properties and Machinability of SiC-Filled Epoxy Tooling Board

An experimental study was conducted to examine the material properties and machinability of a silicon carbide (SiC)-filled epoxy conductive tooling system (RP4037 CAST-ITTM). Specifically, the effects of SiC filler concentration and machining process parameters (cutting speed and feed) on the physical and material properties, resultant cutting force, surface integrity, and tool wear were studied. Machinability evaluation was carried out using the end milling process. The study showed that an increase in filler concentration significantly increased the density, thermal conductivity, resultant machining forces, surface roughness of the machined surface, and tool wear. However, it had insignificant impact on the glass transition temperature, strength, or hardness. A decrease in material strength was observed with increasing cutting speed and feed. Increasing filler concentration was also found to degrade the machined surface morphology. Possible explanations for the observed effects are discussed.