Using the experience gained from many different wear tests on drills (see Newsletter 33), we have developed a test rig for analysing the cutting properties of milling cutters, which makes it possible to compare different cutter designs.
The test rig uses a low-friction cable mechanism to press the material to be machined against the side of the tool with a defined force. A laser distance sensor records the exact distance travelled, which, together with the time measurement, allows the cutting speed of the tool to be accurately calculated. This highly reproducible measurement allows different cutters to be compared in terms of performance and tool life.
Our stable base machine tool is a reliable tool for testing a wide range of materials. Milling tests can be performed on steel, cast iron and aluminium alloys, as well as plastics. In medical applications, for example, we use polyurethane foam bone models reinforced with an epoxy plate to simulate a bone with cortical bone (see Figure 1).
Information on the structure:
Figure 1: Milling test stand with clamped artificial bone made of a polyurethane foam-epoxy composite material, as typically used in medical technology.
Figure 2: Typical development of the measured time for machining a defined distance with two different designs of milling tools. The time increases significantly less for type 1, the tool wears more slowly.