Experimental investigations on micro milling of stavax stainless steel

Micro mechanical milling of Stavax (modified AISI 420) stainless steel which is commonly used in the plastic injection molding industry due to its high corrosion resistance, machinability and wear resistance is studied in this paper. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of process input parameters such as cutting speed, depth of cut, feed per tooth, radial immersion percentage, and plunging method on process outputs during circular pocketing operation. Tool wear, machining forces and surface roughness measurements are considered to identify the relationships between process inputs and outputs. It is observed that plunging method has a significant influence on tool wear which in turn affects micro milling forces and surface quality. The positive impact of micro milling with a pre-drilled hole is demonstrated. The relationship between radial immersion and feed per tooth is shown to be important in terms of tool wear and surface roughness.