Design and fabrication of honeycomb micro-texture using femtosecond laser machine

Abstract

ABSTRACT In advanced machining processes on hard metals, fabrication of textured insert is still a challenge. To improve the machinability of a textured cutting insert the most effective factors are the area covered, design pattern, and orientation of micro-texture. For the coated cutting inserts, the fabrication of micro-grooves must not remove the coating from the surface. Due to the generation of several micro-pools of reservoir for lubricant, the novel honeycomb micro-textured groove has been designed in 3D. The femtosecond laser machine is used to fabricate the micro-textures on TiCN (Titanium Carbo-Nitride) coated tungsten carbide insert having 20 microns of coating depth. Honeycomb micro-texture has covered 2.11 mm X 2.11 mm of the area on the rack face of the cutting insert. After fabrication, the average groove width and wall thickness obtained are 57.7 microns and 29.49 microns, respectively. Fabrication has been done up to the depth of the groove of 18.6 microns. EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy) confirms 68.2% presence of TiCN coating inside the groove with an increase of 33.7% of carbon and a decrease of 9.9% of titanium content due to laser cutting.