Design of Cutting Tools for High Speed Milling

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

This project will focus on development of new cutting tool designs to allow increases in high speed machining (HSM) productivity. The researchers will investigate a new method of increasing the damping in the tool body through creation of internal features, which will dissipate energy through friction during tool vibration. These features will be designed to utilize the high centripetal accelerations experienced during the high spindle speeds used in HSM to dramatically increase the resulting energy dissipation. This "centrifugal damping" will provide significant increases in the dynamic stiffness of the tool, and result in direct productivity improvements in HSM. The researchers will also investigate the form and placement of the cutting edges on the tool body. Previous work in this area has shown that unequal spacing of the cutting edges can result in enhanced stability and improved productivity. This investigation will expand on this research to include analysis of undulating cutting edges, and experimentally verify the results. The final result of this research will be an increased understanding of the role of the cutting tool in high-speed milling. We will formulate optimal design rules and experimentally demonstrate the productivity increases achievable by intelligent design of milling cutters for HSM. The research team expects these results to gain rapid commercial acceptance by HSM users.