Analysis of Abrasives On Cutting Edge Preparation By Drag Finishing

Cutting edge preparation has become more important for tool performance. The micro-shape, radius and surface topography of the cutting edge plays a significant role in the machining process. The cutting edge of solid carbide end mills have some micro-defects after grinding. For eliminating aforementioned problem, this study investigates drag finishing (DF) preparation for solid carbide end mills reconstruct cutting edge micro-geometry. This paper is to present the design of DF experimental set-up and analysis the characterization of various abrasive media (K3/600, K3/400, HSC 1/300 and HSO 1/100) on the evolution of the surface /roughness along the cutting edge. In parallel, the mechanism of material removal and the kinematics trajectory of the drag finishing are presented. In fact, the form factor (also called as “K-factor”) of the cutting edge micro-geometry is quantified. Comparing with four lapping media, the higher material removal rate (MRR) and the lower surface roughness are obtained by HSO 1/100 abrasive process. The results show that the cutting edge K-factor, MRR and surface topography are influenced by the abrasive particles size, composition and process time. The cutting edge micro-geometry is measured through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and 3D Optical measuring instrument.