Cutting Performances of Diamond Coated Milling Tools in Machining Aluminum Alloy

Abstract

CVD diamond films are deposited on cobalt cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co) endmills using hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy are used to characterize the as-deposited diamond films. To evaluate the cutting performances of as-fabricated CVD diamond coated endmills, dry milling tests are conducted using aluminum alloy as the workpiece material. The uncoated WC-Co endmills are also adopted in the milling tests for the sake of comparability. The experimental results show that the build-up edge formed on the uncoated WC-Co endmills at very early stage of the cutting tests. Comparatively, CVD diamond coated endmills present an excellent anti-adhering property. The result suggests that depositing diamond coating on WC-Co endmills is a viable way to improve their cutting performances in machining of aluminum alloy materials