Title: Development of cBN electroplated end-mill combined cutting and grinding for precision machining of CFRP

Authors: Tatsuya Furuki; Yugo Kabaya; Toshiki Hirogaki; Eiichi Aoyama; Kiyofumi Inaba; Kazuna Fujiwara

Addresses: Graduate School of Engineering, Gifu University, 1-1, Yanagido, Gifu, Gifu 501-1193, Japan ' Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3, Tatara Miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan ' Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3, Tatara Miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan ' Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Doshisha University, 1-3, Tatara Miyakodani, Kyotanabe, Kyoto 610-0394, Japan ' Diamant Division, Kamogawa Co., Ltd., 7-3-26, Tehara, Rittou, Shiga 520-3047, Japan ' Diamant Division, Kamogawa Co., Ltd., 7-3-26, Tehara, Rittou, Shiga 520-3047, Japan

Abstract: Carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) has been applied to various fields because of its excellent mechanical properties. Generally, after fabrication with moulding, CFRP requires additional machining, such as cutting or grinding. As the cutting tool for CFRP, a diamond-coated end-mill with high wear resistance has been developed. However, burr or uncut fibre is easily formed. Meanwhile, in the case when a grinding wheel is used, the machining efficiency is low even though there are sharp edges with burr or uncut fibres. Therefore, there is a need for the development of a versatile tool that can achieve precision machining of CFRP with high efficiency. This study develops a cBN electroplated end-mill that is a combination of a cutting tool and a grinding wheel. This report shows that the developed tool is able to perform high-efficiency cutting like the diamond coated end-mill, and high-precision grinding like a diamond wheel.

Keywords: carbon-fibre reinforced plastic; CFRP; cubic boron nitride; cBN; electroplated end-milling; grinding; machining centre.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAT.2018.094158

International Journal of Abrasive Technology, 2018 Vol.8 No.3, pp.188 - 202

Received: 06 Mar 2017
Accepted: 12 Nov 2017
Published online: 20 Aug 2018 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article