Evaluation of the optimal cutting performance of high speed steel and tungsten carbide cutting tools in the machining of aisi 304 steel.

With the increasingly rapid development of technology, and the rising need to promote productivity that is based on quality, energy and cost, it imperative that cutting tools are not selected at random. It is particularly important to note, that aligning work piece materials to specific cutting tools, generally improves manufacturing costs, lead-time, quality of the overall product, and provides greater flexibility when this is done along with the corresponding optimal cutting parameters. All these significantly dictate, and contribute to the overall manufacturing cost of finished products. This study has been performed using the High speed steel and Tungsten carbide tools to comparatively determine the most suitable cutting tool for the machining of a 304 Austenite Steel cylindrical bar. The tool wear of the cutting tools was selected as a measured to ascertain their performance in the turning operation. Response surface methodology was employed to analyzing the results and determining their optimal performance. From the study, the tungsten carbide tool recorded optimal parameters as follows; cutting speed 1303m/min, feed rate 0.354 mm/rev, and depth of cut 0.458mm with a tool wear of 1.173mm. And for the high speed steel tool; cutting speed 1321m/min, feed rate 0.208 mm/rev, and depth of cut 0.682mm with a tool wear of 2.073mm. The study judging from the tool wear shows the efficiency of the tungsten carbide tool over the high speed steel cutting tool, as it can be seen from the results obtained that the lowest tool wear in the turning of the cylindrical steel bar, is recorded from the use of the tungsten carbide cutting tool. From the 3D surface plots, it can be confirmed that to obtained a good performance from the different cutting tools, the cutting speed best suited for the cutting tool must be taken into consideration.