Experimental Study of Cutting Force, Microhardness, Surface Roughness, and Burr Size on Micromilling of Ti6Al4V in Minimum Quantity Lubrication

In the present study, the effects of various cutting conditions on the surface integrity of titanium parts (Ti6Al4V) have been investigated during the micromilling process. In addition, to have a better understanding of the results, the cutting force was measured. The experiments were performed in the Minimum Quantity Lubrication condition using the tungsten carbide microtool with 0.5 mm in diameter. Micromilling parameters including feed rate, spindle speed and axial depth of cut were considered as process inputs, each in three levels, and their effects on the surface roughness, burr width, surface and in-depth microhardness as well as mean cutting force were evaluated. In the range of experimental parameters and according to the results, cutting speed and feed per tooth had the highest impact on the surface integrity characteristics of this alloy, respectively. While most research works concentrated on the feed per tooth as the main parameter in the micromilling process, the result of the study showed that the variation of cutting speed as one of the influential factors could also be used in order to decrease cutting forces and to improve surface quality.