The ability to minimize vibrations in milling by the selection of cutting edge geometry and appropriate cutting conditions is an important asset in the optimization of the cutting process. This paper presents a measurement method and a signal processing technique to characterize and quantify the magnitude of the vibrations in an end milling application. Developed methods are then used to investigate the effects of various cutting edge geometries on vibrations in end milling. The experiments are carried out with five cutting edge geometries that are frequently used in machining industry for a wide range of milling applications. The results show that a modest protection chamfer combined with a relatively high rake angle has, for the most of cutting conditions, a reducing effect on vibration magnitudes. Furthermore, dynamics of a highly positive versus a highly negative cutting geometry is explored in time domain and its dependency on cutting conditions is presented. The results give concrete indications about the most optimal cutting edge geometry and cutting conditions in terms of dynamic behavior of the tool.
This paper presents the results of a joint work between Seco Tools AB and University West in Sweden. Funding of the project, provided by Seco Tools and the KK foundation, is highly appreciated. Support from The Research School of Simulation and Control of Material affecting Processes (SiCoMaP) is also gratefully acknowledged.