Improvement of thread turning process using micro-hole textured solid-lubricant embedded tools

In this paper, the thread turning of aluminum 7075-T6 alloy is studied using micro-hole textured solid-lubricant embedded carbide inserts. The primary focus of this work is to enhance the performance of the thread turning process for producing high quality threaded parts. To achieve this, micro-holes were generated by laser micro-machining on the rake face of tools and then, MoS 2 and CNT (carbon nanotube) solid-lubricants were embedded into micro-holes. The effects of micro-holes and solid-lubrication on the performance of the thread turning process were examined using traditional tool ( T0), micro-hole textured tool ( T1), micro-hole textured MoS 2 embedded tool ( T2), and micro-hole textured CNT embedded tool ( T3). In this study, cutting forces, chip-tool contact length, built-up edge (BUE), surface roughness, and operating cost were investigated. The influence of micro-hole generation on the mechanical strength of cutting inserts was evaluated using the finite element method. The results showed that the fabrication of the micro-holes on the rake surface of cutting inserts has no significant effect on the mechanical strength of the tools. The comparisons of our method with traditional tools demonstrated that the cutting performance improved in the threading process. Our results reveal that the main cutting force, radial thrust force, surface roughness, built-up edge, and chip-tool contact length reduced 37.1%, 40.9%, 37.9%, 58.3%, and 38.2%, respectively, as T3 tools are applied in this process. A cost analysis, based on estimated tooling costs, showed that the T3 tool can yield an 18% reduction in overall operating cost.