New tool holder design for cryogenic machining of Ti6Al4V

Abstract

The renewed demand of increasing the machinability of the Ti6Al4V titanium alloy to produce biomedical and aerospace parts working at high temperature has recently led to the application of low-temperature coolants instead of conventional cutting fluids to increase both the tool life and the machined surface integrity. In particular, the liquid nitrogen directed to the tool rake face has shown a great capability of reducing the temperature at the chip-tool interface, as well as the chemical interaction between the tool coating and the titanium to be machined, therefore limiting the tool crater wear, and improving, at the same time, the chip breakability. Furthermore, the nitrogen is a safe, non-harmful, non-corrosive, odorless, recyclable, non-polluting and abundant gas, characteristics that further qualify it as an environmental friendly coolant to be applied to machining processes. However, the behavior of the system composed by the tool and the tool holder, exposed to the cryogenics temperatures may represent a critical issue in order to obtain components within the required geometrical tolerances. On this basis, the paper aims at presenting the design of an innovative tool holder installed on a CNC lathe, which includes the cryogenic coolant provision system, and which is able to hinder the part possible distortions due to the liquid nitrogen adduction by stabilizing its dimensions through the use of heating cartridges and appropriate sensors to monitor the temperature evolution of the tool holder.