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Permission required for reproduction or display.

PowerPoint to accompany
Krar Gill Smid
Technology of Machine Tools
6
th
Edition
Diamond, Ceramic,
and
Cermet Cutting Tools
Unit 32
32-2
Objectives
Explain the purpose and application of
diamond cutting tools
State the uses of two types of ceramic
tools
Describe the types and application of
cermet tools
32-3
Diamond Cutting Tools
Diamond hardest known material
Two types of diamonds used in industry
Natural (or mined)
Once widely used for machining nonmetallic and
nonferrous materials
Being replaced by manufactured diamonds
Manufactured
Superior in performance in most cases
Used to machine hard-to-finish materials
32-4
Manufactured Diamonds
1954, General Electric Company produced
manufactured diamonds in laboratory
1957, GE began commercial production
First success: carbon and iron sulfide in a
granite tube closed with tantalum disks
were subjected to pressure 1.5 million psi
and temps of 2550 and 4260
Other metal catalysts and temps high enough to
melt metal saturated with carbon to start growth
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Permission required for reproduction or display.
32-5
"Belt"
Furnace
32-6
Manufactured Diamonds
Possible to produce diamonds of size, shape,
and crystal structure suited to needs
Can vary temperature, pressure, and
catalyst-solvent
Types of manufactured diamonds
RVG Diamond
MBG-II Diamond
MBS Diamond
32-7
Type RVG Diamond
Elongated, friable crystal with rough edges
Used with resinoid or vitrified bond for
grinding ultrahard materials
Tungsten carbide
Silicon carbide
Space-age alloys
Used for wet and dry grinding
32-8
Type MBG-II Diamond
Tough, blocky-shaped crystal
Used in metal-bonded grinding (MBG)
wheels
Used for grinding cemented carbides,
sapphires, ceramics, and electrolytic
grinding
32-9
Type MBS Diamond
Blocky, extremely tough crystal with
smooth, regular surface
Used in metal-bonded saws (MBS) to cut
concrete, marble, tile, granite, stone, and
masonry
May be coated with nickel or copper to
provide better holding surface in bond
32-10
Advantages of Diamond
Cutting Tools
1. Can be operated at high cutting speeds, and
production increased to 10 to 15 times that
of other cutting tools
2. Surface finishes of 5 min. (0.127 mm) or
less can be obtained easily
3. Very hard and resist abrasion
32-11
Advantages of Diamond
Cutting Tools
4. Closer tolerance work can be produced
5. Minute cuts, as low as .0005 in. (0.012
mm) deep, can be taken from the inside or
outside diameter
6. Metallic particles do not build up (weld)
on cutting edge.
32-12
Use of Diamond Cutting
Tools
Metallic Materials
Light metals, such as aluminum, duraluminum, and
magnesium alloys
Soft metals, such as copper, brass, and zinc alloys
Bearing metals, such as bronze and babbitt
Precious metals, such as silver, gold, and platinum
Nonmetallic Materials
hard and soft rubber
all types of cemented carbides, plastics, carbon, graphite,
and ceramics.
Increase production 20-50 times that
of carbide tools!
Increase production 10-15 times that
of any other cutting tool!
32-13
Cutting Speeds and Feeds
Diamond-tipped cutting tools operate most
efficiently with shallow cuts at high cutting
speeds and fine feeds
Not recommended for materials where heat
generated exceeds 1400F
Ideal cutting speed for each type of
material-machine combination
Min cutting speed 250 to 300 sf/min
32-14
Diamond Cutting-Tool Data
Cutting Speed Feed (per Rev.) Depth of Cut
Material ft/min in. in.
Metallic (nonferrous) 25010,000 .0008.004 .0005.024
Nonmetallic 2503300 .0008.024 .0008.060
Table 32.1 from Text Metric included in text.
32-15
Hints on the Use of
Diamond Tools
1. Diamond-tipped points designed with
maximum included point angle and radius
for added strength
2. Always handle with care cutting edges
should never be checked with micrometer
3. Stored in separate containers, with rubber
protectors over tips
32-16
4. Machine tool should be as free of vibration
as possible
5. Use very rigid setup with diamond tip set
exactly on center
6. Work should be roughed out with carbide
tool
7. Diamond tools should always be fed into
work while work revolving never stop
machine during cut
8. Interrupted cuts will shorten tool life
32-17
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Diamond-tipped Cutting Tool
Angles and Clearances
32-18
Ceramic Cutting Tools
First cutting-tool inserts on market in 1956
Inconsistent: improper use and lack of knowledge
Uniformity and quality greatly improved
Widely accepted by industry
Used in machining of hard ferrous materials
and cast iron
Gain: lower costs, increased productivity
Operate 3 to 4 times speed of carbide toolbits
32-19
Manufacture of Ceramic
Tools
Primarily from aluminum oxide
Bauxite chemically processed and converted
into denser, crystalline form (alpha alumina)
Micro sized grains obtained from precipitation of
alumina or decomposed alumina compound
Produced by either cold or hot pressing
Finished with diamond-impregnated
grinding wheels
32-20
Manufacturing Process
Cold Pressing
Fine alumina powder compressed into required
form
Sintered in furnace at 2912 F to 3092F
Hot Pressing
Combines forming and sintering with pressure
and heat being applied simultaneously
Titanium oxide or magnesium oxide added
for certain types to aid in sintering and
retard growth
32-21
Ceramic Inserts
Stronger inserts developed
Aluminum oxide and zirconium oxide mixed in
powder form, cold-pressed into shape and
sintered
Highest hot-hardness strength and gives
excellent surface finish
Used where no interrupted cuts and with
negative rakes
No coolant required
32-22
Indexable Insert
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Most common
Fastened in mechanical holder
Available in many styles: square, round,
triangular, rectangular
When cutting edge
becomes dull, sharp
edge can be obtained by
indexing (turning) insert
in the holder
32-23
Cemented Ceramic Tools
Most economical
Especially if tool shape must be altered from
standard shape
Bonded to steel shank with epoxy glue
Eliminates strains caused by clamping inserts in
mechanical holders
32-24
Ceramic Tool Applications
Intended to supplement rather than replace
carbide tools
Extremely valuable for specific applications
Must be carefully selected and used
Can be used to replace carbide tools that
wear rapidly
Never replace carbide tools that are breaking
32-25
Ceramics Usage
1. High-speed, single-point turning, boring,
and facing operations with continuous
cutting
2. Finishing operations on ferrous and
nonferrous materials
3. Light, interrupted finishing cuts on steel or
cast iron
32-26
Ceramics Usage
4. Machining castings when other tools
break down because of abrasive action of
sand, inclusions or hard scale
5. Cutting hard steels up to hardness of
Rockwell c 66
6. Any operation in which size and finish of
part must be controlled and previous tools
not satisfactory
32-27
Factors for Optimum Results
From Ceramic Cutting Tools
1. Accurate and rigid machine tools essential
2. Machine tool equipped with ample power
and capable of maintaining high speeds
3. Tool mounting and toolholder rigidity
important as machine rigidity
4. Overhand of toolholder kept to minimum:
no more than 1 times shank thickness
32-28
5. Negative rake inserts give best results
Less force applied directly to ceramic tip
6. Large nose radius and large side cutting
edge angle on ceramic insert reduces its
tendency to chip
7. Cutting fluids generally not required, if
required, use continuous and copious flow
8. As cutting speed or hardness increases,
check ratio of feed to depth of cut
9. Best to use toolholders with fixed or
adjustable chipbreakers
32-29
Advantages of Ceramic Tools
Machining time reduced due to higher cutting
speeds
Increased productivity because heavy depths of
cut can be made at high surface speeds
Lasts from 3 to 10 times longer than plain carbide
tool and exceed the life of coated carbide tools
More accurate size control of workpiece
32-30
Advantages of Ceramic Tools
Retain their strength and hardness at high
machining temperatures [in excess of 2000F]
Withstand abrasion of sand inclusions
Better surface finish
Heat-treated materials as hard as Rockwell c 66
can be readily machined
32-31
Disadvantages of Ceramic
Tools
Brittle and therefore tend to chip easily
Satisfactory for interrupted cuts only under
ideal conditions
Initial cost of ceramics higher than carbides.
Require more rigid machine than is necessary
for other cutting tools
Considerably more power and higher cutting
speeds required for ceramics to cut efficiently
32-32
Ceramic Tool Geometry
Material to be machined
Operation performed
Condition of machine
Rigidity of work setup
Rigidity of toolholding device
32-33
Rake Angles
Negative rake angles preferred (2 to 30)
Allows chock of cutting force to be absorbed
behind tip, protecting cutting edge
Ceramic tools brittle
Used for machining ferrous and nonferrous
metals
Positive rake angles used for nonmetals


32-34
Clearance
Side
Desirable for ceramic cutting tools
Angle must not be too great
Cutting edge weakened and tend to chip
Front
Angle should be only large enough to prevent
tool from rubbing on workpiece
Angle too great susceptible to chipping
32-35
End Cutting Edge Angle
Governs strength of tool and area of contact
between work and end of cutting tool
Properly designed, remove crests resulting
from feed lines and improve surface finish
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32-36
Nose Radius
Two functions:
Strengthen weakest part of tool
Improve surface finish of workpiece
Should be as large as possible without
producing chatter or vibration
32-37
Cutting Edge Chamfer
Small chamfer (radius) on cutting edge
recommended especially on heavy cuts and
hard materials
Strengthens and protects cutting edge
Use .002- to .008-in. radius for machining
steel
Use .030- to .060-in. radius for heavy
roughing cuts and hard materials
32-38
Cutting Speeds
Use highest cutting speed possible that
gives reasonable tool life
Two to ten times higher than other cutting
tools
Less heat generated due to lower
coefficient of friction between chip, work,
and tool surface
Most of heat generated escapes with chip
32-39
Ceramic Tool Problems
Tool should be large enough for job
Cannot be too large but easily be too small
Style (tool geometry) should be right for
type of operation and material
Table 32.4 in text lists tool problems and
their possible causes
32-40
Grinding Ceramic Tools
Grinding not recommended
May be resharpened with proper care
Resinoid-bonded, diamond-impregnated
wheels recommended
Coarse-grit wheel for rough grinding
220-grit for finish grinding
Hone or lap cutting edge after grinding to
remove any notches
32-41
Cermet Cutting Tools
Developed about 1960
Made of various ceramic and metallic
combinations
Two types
Titanium carbide (TiC)-based materials
Titanium nitride (TiN)-based materials
Cost-effective replacement for carbide and
ceramic toolbits
Not used with hardened ferrous metals or
nonferrous metals
32-42
Characteristics of Cermet Tools
Great wear resistance (permit higher cutting
speeds than carbide tools)
Edge buildup and cratering minimal
High hot-hardness qualities
Greater than carbide but less than ceramic
Lower thermal conductivity than carbide
because heat goes into chip
Fracture toughness greater for ceramic but
less for carbide tools
32-43
Cermet Tool Advantages
Surface finish better than carbides under same
conditions often eliminates finish grinding
High wear resistance permits close tolerances for
extended periods
Cutting speeds higher than carbides (same tool life)
Tool life longer than carbine tools (same cutting
speed)
Cost per insert less than coated carbide inserts
and equal to plain carbide inserts
32-44
Use of Cermet Tools
Titanium carbide cermets hardest
Used to fill gap between tough tungsten carbide
inserts and hard, brittle ceramic tools
Used for machining steels and cast irons
Titanium carbide-titanium nitride inserts
used for semifinish and finish machining of
harder cast irons and steels (less than 45 Rc)