Characteristics and mechanism of top burr formation in slotting microchannels using arrayed thin slotting cutters

•Present the characteristics of top burr in slotting microchannel on stainless steel.•Saw-like top burr can be ended as a combination of the Poisson part and tear part.•The process of top burr formation is divided into four stages.•The influences of technical parameters on top burr size are investigated.

This paper investigates the characteristics and mechanism of top burr formation, and the influence of cutting conditions on top burr formation in slotting microchannels on stainless steel (SS304L) using arrayed thin slotting cutters. Saw-like top burr that is a combination of Poisson part and tear part was observed in the experiments. A 3D finite element model was developed for analysis of the top burr formation processes. The mechanism of top burr formation was proposed based on a series of stress contours and the progressive deformation of microchannel edge obtained from simulation. The process of top burr formation can be divided into four stages: Poisson part initiation, Poisson part development, tear part formation and tear part toppling. The top burr height was found to be largely determined by feed and cutting speed, while the top burr width was found to be strongly influenced by cutting depth, feed and cutting speed.