SBIR Phase I: Reduced-Friction Cutting Tools for Increased Productivity via Micro-Fluidic Lubrication (MFL)

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将解决具有微几何特征的切削工具的可行性，以在最有效的地方提供润滑。该创新包括新的微流体润滑（MFL）功能，以及展示MFL功能的切削刀片的大批量制造的商业生产工艺。机械加工工艺用于许多产品的制造。现代切削刀具材料，包括金刚石和氮化硼，是已知的最硬的，并且正在被常规使用。然而，与碳化钨相比，它们非常昂贵，碳化钨的性能可以通过合金化和涂层来增强，以减少其在高温下化学溶解到芯片和工件中的趋势。不幸的是，所有这些基底材料和现代涂层已经非常先进，在不久的将来只会提供更多的改进。该项目将通过减少刀具上的热源来解决热致磨损对生产率（切削速度）的限制。预计这种新方法将允许在非MFL情况下相同磨损的切削速度加倍。考虑到美国刀片市场约为13亿美元，包括9亿美元的硬质合金刀片，制造MFL刀片的更广泛（商业）影响将是巨大的（2002年数据）。“难以加工”的材料在汽车和工具/模具制造（硬钢）和飞机制造（钛和镍基合金）中最为常见。2004年，这些行业的刀具支出分别约为3.7亿美元和5500万美元。仅捕获10%的发动机加工和40%的其他加工，收入将达到9500万美元。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will address the feasibility of cutting tools with micro-geometric features to provide lubrication where it will be most effective. The innovation includes the new micro-fluidic lubrication (MFL) features as well as a commercial production process for high-volume manufacture of cutting inserts exhibiting MFL features. Mechanical machining processes are used in the manufacture of many products. Modern cutting tool materials, including diamond and cubic-boron-nitride, are the hardest known and are becoming routinely used. However, they are very expensive compared to tungsten carbide, the performance of which can be enhanced with alloying and coatings to reduce its tendency to chemically dissolve into the chip and work piece at high temperatures. Unfortunately, all these substrate materials and modern coatings are already very advanced and will offer little more than incremental improvements in the near future. This project will addresses the productivity (cutting speed) limitation imposed by thermally induced wear, by reducing the heat source on the tool. It is anticipated that this new approach will allow a doubling of cutting speed for the same wear of the non-MFL case.The broader (commercial) impact of manufacturing MFL inserts would be large given the U.S. market for inserts being about $1.3B, including $900MM in carbide inserts only about $217MM are made in the U.S. (2002 data). "Difficult to machine" materials are seen most in automotive and tool/die manufacturing (hard steel) and aircraft manufacturing (titanium and nickel-based alloys). Cutting tool expenditures for these industries in 2004 were about $370MM and $55MM, respectively. Capturing only 10% of engine machining, and 40% of the others, revenues would be $95MM.This project could be useful in meso-scale machines.