Journal of Materials Research and Technology (Jul 2024)
Relationship between energy efficiency and surface morphologies in micro-milling of SLM Inconel 718
Abstract
Selective laser melting (SLM) offers the advantages of a short production cycle and high material utilization in manufacturing components with complex geometric features. It is extensively utilized in aerospace, medical, and energy fields. The accuracy of SLM formed workpieces usually cannot directly meet the requirements, and micro-milling can significantly improve surface accuracy. However, an unreasonable micro-milling process can lead to issues like high energy consumption and compromised surface morphologies of chip and workpiece. In this paper, the relationship between effective specific cutting energy, chip morphology, and surface morphology in the micro-milling process of additive manufacturing workpiece, Inconel 718 formed by SLM, is studied, and the process optimal selection based on energy efficiency is explored. This study is an innovative exploration that bridges the relationship between energy consumption and machining quality in micro milling of additively manufactured parts. The results show that energy efficiency will increase with the increase in feed per tooth and spindle speed. Moreover, when f/r increases, the chip length and width increase significantly from 78.3 μm to 0.35 μm–395.6 μm and 2.76 μm, respectively, and the energy efficiency gradually increases to nearly 100%. At the same time, the surface roughness initially decreases and then increases, indicating that increasing the spindle speed can reduce surface roughness and improve surface quality. Based on analyzing the relationship between energy efficiency and surface morphologies of chip and workpiece, the optimal selection of micro-milling process parameters for SLM Inconel 718 is explored to ensure that the process considers both energy efficiency and surface morphologies. This work sheds new light on understanding the cutting mechanism of the micro-milling process of additive manufacturing part, providing theoretical support for future research on relationship between energy efficiency and surface morphologies in micro-milling.
