Development and analysis of all-ceramic micro end mills with diameters ≤ 50 µm

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Jan C. Aurich
• Subject Area: Metal-Cutting and Abrasive Manufacturing Engineering
• Term: from 2018 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 407558930

• Final Report Year: 2023

Final Report Abstract

In this research project, all-ceramic micro-milling tools with diameters ≤ 50 µm were to be manufactured and applied for the first time. In analogy to conventional cutting, wear advantages of the ceramic tools were expected over carbide tools, especially at high cutting speeds. Accordingly, ceramic substrate materials were selected based on their properties, and tool blanks ordered. Based on the achievable tool geometry, cutting edge sharpness and wear behavior in milling tests, the Y-TZP substrate was identified as the most suitable for tool manufacture. To ensure stable tool production with consistent quality, a dressing step was integrated into the grinding process. With the tools produced in this way, a significant reduction in wear was achieved in the thermoplastic PMMA compared to carbide tools. In further investigations in PMMA, it was shown that the occurrence of ploughing with the ceramic tools does steadily decrease with the ratio of chip thickness to cutting edge radius, but likely requires to pass a threshold.

Publications

• Manufacture of novel all‐ ceramic micro end mills. Proceedings of the 20th euspen International Conference (2020): S. 113-114
  T. Mayer; S. Kieren-Ehses; M. Heintz; B. Kirsch & J.C. Aurich
  
• Atomic force microscope for in situ micro end mill characterization - Part I: Integration into a desktop sized machine tool. Proceedings of the 21st euspen International Conference (2021): S. 463-466.
  S. Kieren-Ehses; T. Mayer; B. Kirsch & J.C. Aurich
  
• Atomic force microscope for in situ micro end mill characterization - Part II: Development of an algorithm to characterize the cutting edge radius of micro end mills. Proceedings of the 21st euspen International Conference (2021): S. 493-496
  T. Mayer; S. Kieren-Ehses; B. Kirsch & J.C. Aurich
  
• An investigation of the influence of the coating on the tool lifetime and surface quality for ultra-small micro end mills with different diameters. CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 37, 92-102.
  Aurich, Jan C.; Kieren-Ehses, Sonja; Mayer, Tobias; Bohley, Martin & Kirsch, Benjamin
  
• Dressing of grinding wheels for the manufacture of all-ceramic micro end mills. Proceedings of the 22nd euspen International Conference (2022): S. 479-482.
  T. Mayer; S. Kieren-Ehses; B. Kirsch & J.C. Aurich
  
• Herstellung und Anwendung vollkeramischer Mikroschaftfräser. Zeitschrift für wirtschaftlichen Fabrikbetrieb, 117(7-8), 475-478.
  Mayer, Tobias; Kieren-Ehses, Sonja; Kirsch, Benjamin & Aurich, Jan C.
  
• Micro milling of brass and commercially pure titanium with all-ceramic micro end mills made from four different ceramic tool substrates. Proceedings of the 22nd euspen International Conference (2022): S. 455-458
  T. Mayer; S. Kieren-Ehses; B. Kirsch & J.C. Aurich
  
• Comparison of different 3Y-TZP substrates for the manufacture of all-ceramic micro end mills with respect to the cutting edge radius and the tool wear. Manufacturing Letters, 38, 44-46.
  Mayer, Tobias; Kieren-Ehses, Sonja; Kirsch, Benjamin & Aurich, Jan C.
  
• Development of an angular position detection method to accurately characterize high speed spindles without encoders. Proceedings of the 23rd euspen International Conference (2023): S. 215-219.
  T. Mayer; A. Lange; A. Schulz; B. Kirsch & J.C. Aurich