A study of the machinability of additively manufactured Inconel 625

Abstract

Additively made parts will likely require post-processing by machining and other methods in order to improve surface finish and dimensional accuracy. This new class of materials have unique microstructures and properties that may impose new challenges during finishing operations like machining. Thus, a systematic study of the machining behavior of additively manufactured materials will provide data for the evaluation of their machinability. The objective of this thesis is to compare the machining behavior of additively manufactured Inconel 625 (AM IN 625) with that of a traditionally made, cast-wrought counterpart (CW IN 625). The comparisons will be made in terms of machining force, temperature at the chip-tool interface, and chip formation mechanisms and resulting morphology. A second objective is to evaluate the benefits of cryogenically cooling the tool and the work material using liquid nitrogen; specifically, evaluating the temperature at the chip-tool interface under such conditions.