Investigation of the use of NCD micro-tools in the micro machining of aluminum 7075-T6 alloy

In the micro milling process, high speed and small cutting geometry result in rapid tool wear. Tool wear causes both cutting geometry and machined geometry to change. The coating of the micro tools therefore positively affects not only the increase in tool life, but also the geometric tolerance and surface quality. In this study, the performance of nano crystal diamond coating in micro milling of Al 7075-T6 work material was investigated. The experiments were carried out under dry cutting conditions and the change of cutting force with different cutting parameters was investigated. In addition, the effect of the coating on surface roughness and burr width was determined. According to the results, the nano diamond coating caused the cutting forces to decrease. The increased speed causes the cutting forces to decrease. The diamond coating caused an average surface roughness reduction of about 29%. The coating material also contributed to the reduction of the burr width. The dominant mechanism of damage during cutting is abrasive wear. Abrasive wear causes tool diameter reduction. The diameter reduction in the coated tool is smaller. When all the data obtained were evaluated together, nano diamond coating showed that it can be used in micro milling of aluminum based alloys.