Performance improvement of carbide cutting tool for Ti6Al4V alloys using electromagnetic treatment

High-quality and high-efficiency cutting technology for Ti6Al4V has rapidly developed, but is still limited by many problems such as high cutting temperature and fast tool wear during the machining process. To improve the machining performance and service life of cemented carbide cutting tools, an electromagnetic treatment was applied and cutting performances with and without electromagnetic treatment were compared. The influences of electromagnetic treatment on the hardness and thermal properties of cemented carbide tool were tested. The cutting force, cutting temperature, and flank wear during the machining process were recorded and comparatively analyzed. Finite element simulation was carried out to further evaluate temperature performance of the cutting tool during machining. The experimental results showed that after electromagnetically treatment, the service life of the tool at a cutting speed of 80 m/min and feed rate of 0.15 mm/r was increased by 133%. The results revealed that electromagnetic treatment can improve the cutting performance and efficiency of cemented carbide tools for Ti6Al4V machining. The electromagnetic treatment-induced performance improvements are discussed on the basis of the experimental and simulation results, which imply potential benefits of electromagnetic treatment in the field of cutting tools, particularly the decrease in hardness deviation and increase of coating adhesion. These benefits together with the significant enhancement of too life demonstrated the feasibility of improvement of cutting tools by using electromagnetic treatment.