FEM-Design & fabrication of a micro-milling tool by tangential laser machining

Abstract Due to the progressive miniaturization of components, micro-cutting is gaining in importance. The fabrication of micro-cutting tools by USP laser processing provides an alternative solution to grinding. It enables high geometric flexibility in the tool design and a very low rejection rate. In this paper, the cutting tool geometry is optimized using FEM simulations. These self-designed tool geometries with a diameter of 0.2 mm are produced on a modern 8-axis laser machining center and analyzed by 3D-confocal microscopy and SEM. Finally, the tools are successfully tested in chipping copper and compared to conventional tools.