Tool Wear and Milling Characteristics for Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Combining Laser Powder Bed Fusion and In Situ High-Speed Milling

We report on milling and tool wear characteristics of hybrid additive manufacturing comprising laser powder bed fusion and in situ high-speed milling, a particular process in which the cutter mills inside the powder bed without any cooling lubricant being applicable. Flank wear is found to be the dominant wear characteristic with its temporal evolution over utilization period revealing the typical s-shaped dependence. The flank wear land width is measured by microscopy and correlated to the achievable surface roughness of milled 3D-printed parts, showing that for flank wear levels up to 100 mu m a superior surface roughness below 3 mu m is accessible for hybrid additive manufacturing. Further, based on this correlation recommended tool, life scenarios can be deduced. In addition, by optimizing the finishing tool start position and the number of afore-built layers, the milling process is improved with respect to the maximum millable angle for undercut surfaces of 3D-printed parts to 30 & DEG; for the roughing process and to 40 & DEG; for the entire machining process including finishing.

Automated summary

This study reports on the milling and tool wear characteristics of hybrid additive manufacturing. It is found that flank wear is the dominant wear characteristic, showing a typical S-shaped dependence over utilization period. The width of flank wear land is measured and correlated to the surface roughness of milled 3D-printed parts, revealing that a superior surface roughness below 3 μm is achievable for hybrid additive manufacturing with flank wear levels up to 100 μm. Furthermore, the milling process is improved by optimizing the finishing tool start position and the number of afore-built layers, resulting in an increased maximum millable angle for undercut surfaces of 3D-printed parts.