MACHINABILITY & MACHINABILITY INDEX EXPLAINED !!!

MACHINABILITY

Machinability is a term indicating how the work material responds to the cutting process. In the most general case good machinability means that material is cut with good surface finish, long tool life, low force and power requirements, and low cost.

MACHINABILITY INDEX

It is a numerical value that designates the degree of difficulty or ease with which a particular material can be machined.

The machinability index KM is defined by

KM = V60/V60R
where ,

• V60 is the cutting speed for the target material that ensures tool life of 60 min,
• V60R is the same for the reference material. Reference materials are selected for each group of work materials (ferrous and non-ferrous) among the most popular and widely used brands.

If KM Greater than 1, the machinability of the target material is better that this of the reference material, and vice versa. Note that this system can be misleading because the index is different for different machining processes.

Example: Machinability rating

The reference material for steels, AISI 1112 steel has an index of 1.

For a tool life of 60 min, the AISI 1045 steel should be machined at 0.36 m/s.

Hence, the machinability index for this steel is,

KM = 0.36/0.5 = 0.72.

This index is smaller than 1, therefore, AISI 1045 steel has a worse workability than AISI 1112.

WAYS OF IMPROVING MACHINABILITY INDEX:

The machinability of the work materials can be more or less improved, without sacrificing productivity, by the following ways :

• Favourable change in composition, microstructure and mechanical properties by mixing suitable type and amount of additive(s) in the work material and appropriate heat treatment.

• Proper selection and use of cutting tool material and geometry depending upon the work material and the significant machinability criteria under consideration.

• Proper selection and appropriate method of application of cutting fluid depending upon the tool – work materials, desired levels of productivity i.e., VC and so and also on the primary objectives of the machining work undertaken.

• Proper selection and application of special techniques like dynamic machining, hot machining, cryogenic machining etc, if feasible, economically viable and eco-friendly.