Abstract
A variety of cutting tool materials are used for the contact mode mechanical machining of components under extreme conditions of stress, temperature and/or corrosion, including operations such as drilling, milling turning and so on. These demanding conditions impose a seriously high strain rate (an order of magnitude higher than forming), and this limits the useful life of cutting tools, especially single-point cutting tools. Tungsten carbide is the most popularly used cutting tool material, and unfortunately its main ingredients of W and Co are at high risk in terms of material supply and are listed among critical raw materials (CRMs) for EU, for which sustainable use should be addressed. This paper highlights the evolution and the trend of use of CRMs) in cutting tools for mechanical machining through a timely review. The focus of this review and its motivation was driven by the four following themes: (i) the discussion of newly emerging hybrid machining processes offering performance enhancements and longevity in terms of tool life (laser and cryogenic incorporation); (ii) the development and synthesis of new CRM substitutes to minimise the use of tungsten; (iii) the improvement of the recycling of worn tools; and (iv) the accelerated use of modelling and simulation to design long-lasting tools in the Industry-4.0 framework, circular economy and cyber secure manufacturing. It may be noted that the scope of this paper is not to represent a completely exhaustive document concerning cutting tools for mechanical processing, but to raise awareness and pave the way for innovative thinking on the use of critical materials in mechanical processing tools with the aim of developing smart, timely control strategies and mitigation measures to suppress the use of CRMs.
Highlights
In the era of globalisation and high competitiveness, it is of utmost importance for industries to work on reducing manufacturing costs and simultaneously providing added value in terms of increased life of the product when put into service
When machining a metal with high plasticity, such as pure iron, using conventional WC–Co cemented carbide, a chip tends to adhere on the rake face of the cutting tool, resulting in serious adhesive wear due to the existence of cobalt, which has a lower melting point compared to WC
Thakur et al [58] highlighted that WC tools undergo a less-strong microstructural modification under cryogenic treatment compared to that detected with conventional heat treatments; some physical transformations occur concerning the densification of cobalt, which induces an increase in the gripping of carbide particles and an improvement in the tool life amounting to a wear resistance increase of 27%
Summary
In the era of globalisation and high competitiveness, it is of utmost importance for industries to work on reducing manufacturing costs and simultaneously providing added value in terms of increased life of the product when put into service. The issue of CRMs must be tackled with scientific rigour by pursuing different parallel actions; in particular, by (1) improving the production processes of CRMs (increasing sustainable mining, reducing extraction costs, increasing the efficiency of materials, increasing security, etc.); (2) finding suitable candidates to partially or totally substitute the CRMs; and (3) increasing their recycling. In this context, the development of new materials with superior characteristics or better performance than existing materials is desirable to lead to a longer product life and to reduce the cost of the product.
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