Research on cutting performance and tool life improvement methods of titanium alloy ultra-high speed milling tools

Titanium alloy materials are increasingly used in consumer products such as mobile phones and computers. Currently, manufacturers use ultra-high speed machining techniques to process titanium alloy materials to ensure high production efficiency. However, under the high spindle speed of 8000 rpm and a large feed rate of 4500 mm/min, the cutting speed of a 10 mm diameter milling tool reaches up to 251 m/min, which is significantly higher than the traditional cutting speed for titanium alloys (90 m/min). This ultra-high-speed cutting condition inevitably leads to a reduced tool life, consequently increasing manufacturing costs. Therefore, this paper focuses on studying methods to improve the cutting performance and tool life in titanium alloy ultra-high speed milling. First, failed milling tools on the titanium alloy processing production line were detected, and the failure modes and wear mechanisms of the tools under ultra-high speed milling conditions were analyzed. Based on this, a milling simulation model was established and calibrated through milling experiments. Then, simulation experiments were designed using the response surface methodology to reveal the impact of key tool geometric parameters on cutting performance, and the geometric parameters of the milling tool were optimized. Finally, based on the optimization results, milling tools were prepared and cutting performance and tool life experiments were conducted. Compared with the unoptimized milling tools, the optimized milling tools have significantly improved cutting performance and tool life, with cutting force reduced by 40 %–50 % and average tool life increased by 69.6 %.