Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability

It has been recognized that on ductile materials, high radial tool engagement conditions produce the largest burrs in face milling operations. Ideally, high radial engagement is avoided by configuring the tool path such that the mill is kept within the feasible offset region –a region that satisfies user requirements– of a given workpiece geometry and material. Fulfillment of this condition, however, is often difficult due to geometrical complexity of the manufactured components and cycle time constraints. For this reason there is great motivation to minimize burr formation at high tool engagement. In this paper, the mechanisms of burr formation and the effect of cutting parameters under high radial engagement are investigated, and possible burr minimization strategies are discussed. To this end, face milling tests results conducted by CODEF members and other researchers on different materials were examined. The proposed minimization strategies focus on the optimization of the following parameters: depth of cut, insert nose sharpness, lead angle, and axial rake angle, to promote a transition from primary to secondary burr formation.