Aluminum machining is a key practice in many industries, including food packaging, aircraft manufacturing, computers/electronics, energy, and vehicle production. Aluminum is a very versatile and useful metal due to the fact that it is durable, lightweight, cost-effective, attractive, and corrosion-resistant. Learn the three important factors for the best aluminum machining below.
Materials
To obtain the best aluminum machining possible, it is important to only use high-quality materials. When poorer-quality materials are used, the cutting tools will degrade much more quickly, as more of the material sticks to the cutting edge. This will degrade the sharpness of the tool, leading to poorer cuts.
Coatings
There are many different types of tool coatings available. These choices include diamond, diamond-like coatings, chrome nitrides, zirconium nitrides, TiAIN, TiCN, AITiN, and TiN. However, because of the coating application process in the last four aforementioned coatings, they are not suitable for aluminum applications because the aluminum is much likelier to stick to the tool. Conversely, diamond and diamond-like tool coatings led to the best aluminum machining, plus extended the life of the tools.
Geometry
When conducting high-speed machining of aluminum, it is key to have as much space as possible for the chips to escape. Aluminum is a softer material than most metals; combine that with the high feed rate speed, and larger chips will occur. Additionally, the high speed can lead to hotter temperatures because of the friction created. As a result, the chips can stick to the tool more easily, leading to poorer cuts over time.
This is why a tool’s helix angle must also be carefully considered. While a high helix angle leads to the chip being cut away from the part more quickly, there is greater heat as a result. Therefore, a good balance between a low helix angle and ample evacuation space is needed to ensure the best aluminum machining possible
