Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

RECENT TRENDS IN MANUFACTURING –

HIGH SPEED MACHINING

AUTHOR
AMBARISH A. WALIMBE
(B.E. MECH)
(PGD TOOL DESIGN & CAD/CAM)
Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Why High Speed Machining?
1.2 Need for HSM Development

2. HIGH SPEED MACHINING

2.1 Machine Tool for HSM
2.2 Cutting Tools for HSM
2.3 NC Program for HSM

3. HSM APPLICATIONS
3.1 Die and Mould Making

4. CONCLUSION

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Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

ABSTRACT
In recent years large amount of research has taken place to improve productivity in
machining. One such research area developed to increase the metal removal rate is High
Speed Machining (HSM). Machining of materials at four to six times the cutting speed
used in conventional machining is called as High Speed Machining. The high speed
machining technique has great economic potential due to high metal removal rate, better
surface finish and ability to machine thin walls. The newer materials such as composite
materials, heat resistant and stainless steel alloys, bimetals, compact graphite iron,
hardened tool steels, aluminum alloys etc., needs this new machining (HSM). High speed
machining offers a means to shorten delivery times boost productivity and increase
profitability.
The aim of this paper is to give an overview of HSM and related technologies used in
production systems for obtaining increased efficiency, accuracy and quality of finishing.
A high speed machining center can reduce the need for polishing the surfaces of dies and
moulds. It can produce EDM electrodes more efficiently. The high speed machining
center also produces complex tooling competitively in a single setup. The HSM
requirements, such as machine tool, cutting tools etc. are discussed in this paper. The
application of high speed machining to die and mould machining is also presented.

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Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

1. INTRODUCTION
Machining of materials at four to six times the cutting speed used in conventional
machining is called as High Speed Machining (HSM). HSM is one of the modern
technologies, which in comparison with conventional cutting enable to increase the
efficiency; accuracy and quality of the workpiece and at the same time decrease the cost
and machining time . The HSM technology allows the manufacturing of products with
excellent surface finish with relatively little increase in total machining time. Carl
Salomon conceived the concept of HSM after conducting a series of experiments in
1924-31. His research showed that the cutting temperature reached a peak value when the
cutting speed is increased and the temperature decreases for a further increase of cutting
speed (Figure 1). The increase in cutting speed demands a new type of machining system
like the machine tool, cutting tool, CNC program etc. The use of high feed rate with high
speed increases the metal removal rate, but the machine in turn requires lighter inertia
tables, powerful motor drives and more responsive control systems. One definition of
HSM states that, it is an end milling operation at high rotational speeds and high surface
feeds. HSM normally uses a high speed in excess of 1000 m/min, feed rates above
1m/min and spindle speeds greater than 10,000 rpm.

Figure 1. Effect of Cutting Speed on Cutting Temperature

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Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

1.1 Why High Speed Machining?

High material removal rates can be achieved by using high cutting speed, high rotational
speed, high feed machining or high speed and feed machining. Practically it can be noted
that HSM is not simply high cutting speed. It should be considered as a process where the
operations are performed with very specific methods and production equipments. In
many applications, HSM is used for machining the components with high spindle speeds
and feeds for roughing to finishing and also for finishing to super finishing. In HSM the
cutting tool and workpiece temperatures are kept low due to short engagement time. This
normally increases the tool life. The increase of cutting speed decreases the cutting forces
(Figure 2). The deflection of tool is kept less during cutting, which results in good surface
finish (Ra 0.2 micron). The shallow depth of cut in HSM reduces the radial forces on tool
and spindle. This increases the life of the spindle bearings, guide ways and ball screws.

1.2 Need for HSM Development

1. To survive in the competitive market, it is necessary to use HSM in order to reduce
machining time and hence cost of production.
2. The newer materials such as composite materials, heat resistant and stainless steel
alloys, bimetals, compact graphite iron, hardened tool steels, aluminum alloys etc., needs
this new machining (HSM).
3. HSM offers high quality of products by avoiding manual finishing of dies or moulds
with a complex 3-D geometry, aluminum thin walled component machining etc.
4. HSM eliminates the number of setups and simplifies the flow of material, which can
reduce considerably the manufacturing throughput time.
5. HSM technique is one of the main methods in rapid product development.

Figure 2. The Variation of Cutting force with respect to cutting speed

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Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

2. HIGH SPEED MACHINING

The machining activity is an important component in the overall manufacturing. The
HSM processes are increasingly used in modern manufacturing. However, such processes
can lead to discontinuous chip formation that is strongly correlated with increased tool
wear, degradation of the work piece surface finish, and less accuracy in the machined
part. The variations of cutting force components are functions of chip load and cutting
speed. The variations in cutting force produces severe self excited and forced vibrations
which are detrimental to the tool life, work piece geometry, finish and finally machine
tool itself .
2.1 Machine Tool for HSM
HSM has grown in popularity tool making industry. After an initial period of skepticism,
high speed machining offers a means to shorten delivery times, boost productivity and
increase profitability. The spindle is the most fundamental component of the HSM
processes. In some cases retrofitting a faster spindle to a conventional machining center
can realize some of the HSM benefits. The increased cutting speed, introduce dynamic
stability problems into the machine tool components. This leads undesirable resonance in
the machine parts, which require additional damping considerations in the design of
machine tool components. A more accurate representation of high speed machining from
a spindle design point of view is the DN number. DN is the spindle diameter in mm
multiplied by the spindle speed in rpm. The commercial high-speed machines are
available with DN number in the range of 1.5 million. The stability of the machines used
for HSM become important to reduce the vibrations and chatter produced during
machining. It was shown, that a substantial productivity gain as well as reduced vibration
could be achieved by utilizing stability lobs in HSM machine tool design. One of the
main objectives of HSM is high metal removal rate, which is achieved by using higher
speed and depth of cut, particularly in roughing operation. Machining at surface speed
higher than 915 m/min is more common in HSM and the chatter produced at that speed
can be suppressed or avoided by either using an analytical model or an experimental
technique or more desirably by a combination of both. The spindle dynamic
characteristics at high speed were analyzed and observed that a spindle with angular
contact ball bearings exhibits some change in dynamic stiffness as the speed increases.
With the aid of computer aided modeling, the machine builders are able to analyze the
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Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

machine dynamics and dynamic stiffness. The machine’s servo drives, spindle design and
torque power curves are different for each application of HSM. The major development
in HSM is correcting unstable machine conditions by a Chatter Recognition and Control
System (CRAC). It is an on-line system for stabilizing the cutting conditions
automatically by adjusting the cutting speed and feed. It uses the sound of the cutting
operation, measured spindle speed and number of teeth on the tool to determine when
chatter occurs and to automatically choose a new spindle speed. Winfough and Smith
(1995) reported a new CRAC system as a tool in an NC program to use spindle speed and
axial depth of cut combinations to obtain maximum metal removal rates.

2.2 Cutting Tools for HSM

The cutting tools are specially designed to suit HSM for high metal removal rate. All the
cutting and holding tools used in HSM are to be designed for the specific purpose
machining. The tools are normally provided with reinforced cutting edges by using either
zero or negative rake angles. One typical and important design feature of the cutting tool
is having thick core for withstanding maximum bending. The increased run-out error in
the tool or tool holder reduces the life of the tool to a great extent. A method is described
for changing the length of tool, so that the most stable region (machining condition) falls
at the top speed of the spindle. Many different designs of tool–tool holder interface are
developed to reduce the instability. Stability of the interface can be improved by
shortening of the overhang portion and also using shrink fit tooling. The increased
spindle speed limits the use of conventional taper interface provided with cutting tools. A
modification has reported in traditional taper design to achieve more stiffness through
face contact. The strong development of cutting tool materials and holding devices has
increased the applications of HSM. Also the development of super hard cutting materials
such as Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN), Poly Crystalline Cubic Boron Nitride for machining
hard steel has created many new applications for HSM. Another development of tooling
with exotic coating technologies is able to withstand the high temperature produced in
HSM. In HSM the super hard materials as well as cutting edges resistant to high
temperatures are the solutions for providing maximum performance for different category
of materials.

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2.3 NC Program for HSM

The productivity of a machine is always a concern for the machine developers and users.
In conventional machining the increase of feed rate increases the productivity. But in
most cases of HSM, the increase of the feed rate does not significantly improve the
productivity. The productivity can be evaluated by calculating the productive and non-
productive times. The productivity of the high speed machining centre depends directly
on the quality of NC programs. A NC program was developed with a simulator to
evaluate the productivity of the NC programs by considering an effective feed rate factor
and a productivity factor. The effective feed rate depends on: (1) the command feed rate
(2) the average per block travel of the tool (3) moving vectorial variation of the tool and
(4) acceleration/deceleration or time constants. NC programmers must alter their overall
machining strategy to construct tool paths to anticipate the cutting tool for its engagement
with the work piece. Sharp turns and slow execution create jerky tool movements. This
alters the load on the cutter, which causes tool deflection. This leads to reduced accuracy,
surface finish and tool life. The servo controllers used in HSM many times failed to
position the drives accurately. “Remaining stock analysis”–ability of the CAM system to
know precisely where the stock is available after each cut, is used for predicting the
constant cutter load. Experience has shown that tooling manufacturers and CAM software
developers need to work closely together to ensure that the customers are able to get the
major benefit from deploying new tooling technologies with optimized machining
strategies. Using slower CAM software or a less powerful computer will lead to
frustrating delays, with a new machine tool lying idle while NC programs are being
generated (delcam). To perform HSM it is necessary to use rigid and dedicated machine
tools and controls with specific design features and options. The machine should use
advanced programming techniques with a more favorable tool path. The program should
ensure constant stock for each operation. To achieve the above requirements the machine
tool designers and engineers have been developing the machines for HSM with
parameters specified below.

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TABLE. 1
HSM Machine Tool Parameters (Pasko, et al, 2000).

Spindle speed range < 40,000 rpm. Increments (linear) 5-20 m

Spindle power > 22 kW. Circular interpolation via NURBS.
Programmable feed rate 40 – 60 High thermal stability and rigidity in spindle-
m/min. higher pretension and cooling of spindle
bearings.
Rapid traverse < 90 m/min Air blast/ coolant through spindle.
Axis dec /acceleration > 1g Different error compensations.
Block processing speed 1-20 ms. Advanced look ahead function in CNC.
Data flow via Ethernet 250 kbit/s
(1ms)

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3. HSM APPLICATIONS
HSM are performed with very specific methods and production equipments and not
merely on the cutting speeds, spindle speeds and high feed rates. It is possible for
machining of hardened steels with high speeds and feeds for finishing operations. A usual
problem in the end milling of Aluminum structures for aerospace applications is that of
maintaining good surface finish on either sides of thin ribs, which tend to deflect under
cutter pressure. If machining is done at conventional speeds, the cutting force tends to
deflect these ribs so that it is not possible to achieve smaller thickness with high
dimensional accuracy. This problem can be overcome by using HSM. HSM is being
mainly used in three industrial sectors due to their specific requirements. The first
category deals with machining Aluminum to produce automotive components, small
computer parts or medical devices. This industry needs fast metal removal, because a
technological process involves many machining operations. The second category, which
is the aircraft industry, involves long Aluminum parts, often with thin walls. Usually the
work piece deflection and heat or stress induced deformation limits the machining with
conventional speeds. At high speeds and feeds the heat generated in the cutter- work
piece interface is carried away quickly with chips and less heat is transferred to the uncut
workpiece. Now many aerospace die cast components are replaced by components
machined by HSM. The HSM has ability to cut thin walls, which makes lighter
components and minimizes the number of parts required in an assembly. The third
category is the die and mould industry, which requires dealing with finishing of hard
materials. Here it is important to machine with high speed and to keep high accuracy.

3.1 Die and Mould Making

Die and mould making is one of the most significant areas of production technology as it
plays an important part in the economics of producing large number of discrete parts. In
the case of dies and moulds, conventional methods of machining needs more number of
setups, use of costly machines like EDM and apart from manual finishing of components
to achieve the required quality level. Shorter lead-time and production of better quality
parts are the main goals in die/mould manufacturing. The use of HSM in die and mould
industry can reduce the machining time produce an improved workpiece quality and also
provide longer tool life. The design and engineering of modern dies and moulds are
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increasingly growing sophisticated as these dies and moulds become complex and require
tighter tolerances. Intricate geometry of die and mould surfaces and relatively high
hardness of die and mould materials necessitates use of HSM. The die and mould makers
are relying on HSM for more reasons, such as a reduction in machining time as well as
less time needed for hand polishing and preservation of computer generated geometry.
The HSM allows a trade-offs between time on the milling machine and that on the
polishing bench to have better advantage. The key factor is making passes with very
small stop over at very high feed rates with high spindle speeds to achieve adequate chip
load on the cutter in roughing operations. A smaller depth of cut using positive rake
cutters often achieves higher overall metal removal rates than attainable conventionally,
even though the cutting tool is of a smaller diameter, compared to typical roughing
operations involving fewer, slower and heavier cuts. In many cases after high speed
roughing, stock remaining in the workpiece is close enough to the amount allowed for
finishing, so that semi-finishing operation can be eliminated. Due to limited time of
engagement of tool cutting edge, the chip produced was short, completely segmented and
having variable thickness with ball end mills. The optimized tool path and cutting
conditions result in high metal removal efficiency, improved tool life and process
stability. The HSM employs new NC tool path generation methods and using CNC
milling machines equipped with proper controlling sensors. Nowadays PCBN ball end
mills have been used to machine dies and moulds. A cutting speed of 500-1000 m/min
and feed rates upto 10 m/min. can be employed for machining alloy steels with hardness
30-45 HRC (Rigby, 1993). The cutting tool manufacturers recommend some typical
cutting data for machining of dies (Table 2). The use of HSM technology could reduce
machining time by 30-40%. HSM ensures a dimensional tolerance of 0.02 mm, which is
comparable with 0.1- 0.2 mm for ECM and 0.01- 0.02 mm for EDM. The replacing of
ECM by HSM increases the life and durability of the hardened dies.

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TABLE3.

HSM cutting data by experience

Cutting speeds Vc (m/min)

Material Hardness Conventional HSM-R HSM- F
Steel 01.2 150 HB < 300 > 400 < 900
Steel 02.1/2 330 HB < 200 > 250 <600
Steel 03.11 300 HB < 100 > 200 <400
Steel 03.11 39 –48 HRC < 80 > 150 <350
Steel 04 48 – 58 HRC < 40 > 100 <250
GCI 08.1 180 HB < 300 > 500 <3000
Aluminum 60 –75 HB < 1000 >2000 <5000
Non- ferrous 100 HB < 300 > 1000 <2000

(R- roughing, F-finishing)

4. CONCLUSION
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Recent Trends in Manufacturing.

HSM is regarded as a process where the operations are performed with specific methods
and production equipment. Many HSM applications are performed with moderate spindle
speeds and large sized cutter. HSM is performed in finishing in hardened steel with high
speeds and feeds, often with 4-6 times of conventional cutting speeds. HSM is a high
productive machining for small sized components in roughing to finishing and finishing
to super finishing. In the case of some sized components, the various operations like
roughing, semi-finishing and finishing can be performed in a single step because of low
material allowances for machining, hence the number of set-ups and material handling
are reduced. Productivity in finishing and possibility to achieve extremely good surface
finish as low as Ra-0.2 microns and dimensional tolerance of 0.02 mm is ensured.
Machining of very thin walls is possible with HSM. The negative aspects of HSM is
attributed to high maintenance cost of machine tools due to higher acceleration and
deceleration rates, spindle starts and stops leading to faster wear of guide ways, ball
screws and spindle bearings. HSM requires knowledge in advanced processing and
programming techniques and also an interface for fast date transfer. The development of a
new machine tool architecture will allow the performance of high productivity roughing
and semi-finishing combined with five axis high quality finishing.

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