Optimisation of tool life and productivity when end milling Inconel 718TM

The paper initially reviews prior work on the influence of operating parameters on tool life when milling Inconel 718. Following this review, experimental work is described which evaluates the effect of varying feed rate/chip thickness, immersion ratio (radial depth of cut), tool material and geometry on the tool life, tool wear and productivity obtained when end milling Inconel 718.The experimental work was conducted in two phases. The first phase used a fixed tool material and geometry to examine the effects of various feed rates and radial depth's of cut. In the second phase, a reduced number of parameters were examined but various different tool materials and geometries were utilized.The results showed that no single tool material or geometry gave the best overall performance. However, areas were identified in which a specific combination of tool material and geometry was superior. The findings of this work can be used to optimise productivity depending on the volume of material to be removed.