Due to the special characteristics of aluminum, no matter what machine tool is used, the efficiency, service life and workpiece gloss are often unsatisfactory. Therefore, how to choose the appropriate cutting tools and processing technology when processing aluminum has become a matter of concern.
Let's first understand the processing characteristics of lower aluminum and aluminum alloy: aluminum has low strength, low hardness and high plasticity, which is suitable for plastic forming processing, but it tends to be deformed and strengthened during cutting, and it is easy to stick the knife, so it is difficult to process a smooth surface. Compared with pure aluminum, aluminum alloy has much higher strength and hardness, but compared with steel, it has low strength and hardness, small cutting force and good thermal conductivity.
Due to the soft nature and large plasticity of aluminum alloy, it is easy to stick to the tool during cutting, forming chip nodules on the tool. During high-speed cutting, fusion welding may occur on the blade, causing the tool to lose its cutting ability and affecting the machining accuracy and surface roughness. In addition, the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum alloy is large, and the cutting heat is easy to cause the thermal deformation of the workpiece and reduce the machining accuracy.
