A New Method for the Preparation of Cutting Edges via Grinding

In this paper, a new method for the preparation of cutting edges via grinding is presented. This method enables the manufacturing of the tool macro and micro geometry in one setup without reclamping, allowing improved flexibility, repeatability and accuracy at reduced processing times. This new method is path controlled using a special elastic bond for the grinding wheels. By using elastic bond, a rounded cutting edge instead of undesired chamfers can be achieved, as the bond nestles around the cutting edge and elastically deforms. The elastic bond is specified by the grain concentration and its basic hardness. Besides the specifications of the bond, the process kinematics highly influences the properties of the cutting edge. The kinematics is a combination of the tool path (machining strategy) and the grinding wheel geometry. The presented experiments include the examination of three different kinematics using three different grinding wheel geometries, FEPA 1A1, 1V1 and 4A2. For each kinematics, three different grain concentrations and three degrees of basic bond hardness were tested, resulting in a complete amount of 27 parameter combinations. The outer diameter cutting edges of cemented carbide milling tools (end mills) were prepared in a 5-axis tool grinding machine. The shape and quality of the achieved cutting edge rounding was qualitatively evaluated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM).