Modeling of orthogonal cutting forces in metallic feedstock machining

Metallic feedstock is adopted in Powder Metallurgy and binder-based Additive Manufacturing. It combines micro metallic particles with a multi- component polymeric binder. Machining feedstock at soft state, i.e., before sintering, shows improved machinability enabling the creation of microfeatures on the green parts and an increased surface finish quality. This paper proposes an innovative orthogonal cutting analytical model for predicting the cutting force in steel spheroidal feedstock. The model considers the tool shape, including the cutting edge radius, and computes the force from the viscous-interactions between the tool and the feedstock material. Experiments are performed to validate the model. Once tuned, the model is capable to predict forces with different feedstock granulometry and composition.