Micro-Milling of Fully Sintered ZrO2 Ceramics with Diamond Coated End Mills

Abstract

This work presents an experimental investigation on micro-milling of fully sintered Zirconia (ZrO2) with CVD diamond coated end mills. The experiments were conducted on a Kern MMP 2522 micro-milling centre. Diamond coated WC micro end mills with stiff geometry, are employed. Effects of cutting parameters on surface quality were investigated by means of a mixed full factorial experimental design. Surface roughness was measured by a Talysurf 120L profilometer. Surface topography was examined using a scanning electron microscope. The results show that a smaller feed rate was apt to result lower surface roughness. With the increase of cutting length, brittle damages were observed in some tests.