OPTIMIZATION OF CARBIDE BALL NOSE END MILL PROFILE ANGLES IN MACHINING INCONEL 718

Cutting tools nearly make up 30% of all the manufacturing cost. Modeling and simulation of machining is essential for improving and increasing efficiency of the process. Inconel 718 alloy which is an iron-nickel based superalloy is widely used in rocket engines, turbine blades, molds and extrusion containers. The flute profile is the main part in the milling cutting tool body and has an important effect on the tool life and machining quality in milling processes. The flute profile includes rake, relief, helix and pitch angles. The conventional way of flute design, is based on trial and error which is costly and time consuming. In this article, the geometry of milling tool to obtain optimal angles which result in minimum force in machining of Inconel 718 are investigated. The design of experiments is carried out with Taguchi method and the analysis in Abaqus software for different cutting conditions with different spindle speed, feed rate, axial and radial depth of cut and profile geometries including rake angle, helix angle and relief angle. All the experiments are also analyzed with Advantedge software which shows a good compatibility between the results.