Improving the Performance of Micro-Textured Cutting Tools in Dry Milling of Ti-6Al-4V Alloys

Micro-textured tools were fabricated by making textures on rake faces and filling them with molybdenum disulfide. Dry milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloys was carried out with the micro-textured tools and conventional tools for comparison. Results showed that micro-textured tools can reduce the resultant cutting forces, cutting temperatures, and power consumption by approximately 15%, 10%, and 5%, respectively. Meanwhile, the developed tools can improve tool lives by approximately 20–25%. The radial width of cut, the cutting speed, and the axial depth of cut all had statistical and physical effects on the energy consumption per unit of volume in dry milling of Ti-6Al-4V alloys, while the feed per tooth seemed to have no significant effect. The mechanism for improved performance of micro-textured tools can be mainly interpreted as their self-lubricating function.