Mastering the Art of Side Milling: Precision Techniques for Machinists

Side milling is one of the most fundamental and easily performed operations in every machinist’s repertoire which gives effective and accurate results for numerous functions. In the case of complex profile construction, surface finishing, and close tolerance work, this method must be mastered to be accurate and efficient in machining. This article details the main strategies and advanced techniques that side milling involves so that side milling can be practiced with more professional precision. Find basic principles and technical details ranging from tool choices and cutting parameter optimizations to improve your machining skills and practices.

What is a Side Mill and How Does it Work?

A side mill is a type of cutting tool used in machining processes to separate a specific portion of material from a workpiece. It usually has a cylindrical shape with cutting edges positioned parallel to its sides, which allows it to make cuts perpendicular to the tool’s rotation. Side mills are especially useful for making flat surfaces, grooves, or precision slots. The tool removes material by spinning rapidly and following a specific path, which allows it to be removed accurately and uniformly. Using the tool within the correct cutting conditions and alignment is crucial as it impacts effectiveness and tool deterioration.

Understanding the Basics of a Side Milling Cutter

A side milling cutter is made for cutting operations with accuracy as well as an excellent surface finish. Its main attributes are sharp cutting edges located on the periphery and sides of the cutter which allow it to make accurate grooves, slots, and flat surfaces. It is often used in machining operations where a definite rate of material reduction is required. While the machine setup is important, manufacturers must also ensure that the tool alignment, cutting speeds, and overall wear and tear on the cutter are taken into consideration to achieve optimal results.

The Role of the Milling Machine in Side Milling

The milling machine has unparalleled importance in executing side milling works skillfully and economically. Side milling involves a milling cutter that removes solids on the side of a workpiece with the intent of producing flat surfaces or grooves of precise cross-section. The latest innovations in milling machines include the integration of CNC (Computer Numerical Control) features which allow an operator to use commands for the movement of the machine parts and automatic tool changing to enhance the cycle time and accuracy of the components produced.

One of the recent advancements in milling machines is the adoption of high-speed spindles. These spindles are capable of delivering speeds greater than 20,000 RPM and so shortening the cycle times while achieving good surface finish. Laboratory tests suggest metrology CNC side milling machines with tolerances of ±0.0005 inches could be routinely achieved. This level of precision means that the same work can be produced again and again without changes in quality which is ideal for several industries such as aerospace, automotive, and precision manufacturing.

In addition, side milling operations can be performed with other carbide tools including indexable inserts and solid-end mills. This provides greater flexibility when working with heat-treated materials such as steel, aluminum, or titanium. Research proves that the coated carbide cutters have outperformed ordinary cutters and during side milling tougher alloys have increased the tool life by nearly 50%.

To enhance efficiency, manufacturers should take into account feed rate, depth of the cut, and lubrication when conducting milling operations. Research shows that optimized feed rate and the application of high-performance lubricants decrease friction and heat, thus improving tool life and machining performance over time. Almost all modern milling machines are accurate and flexible enough to make them necessary for lateral milling operations in numerous manufacturing industries.

Applications and Benefits of Using Side Mills

Due to their accuracy and capability to perform multiple tasks, Side mills have found application in different industrial sectors. Below is a thorough outline of their applications and advantages:

Applications 

Slotting and Contour Milling: In side-milling operations, Side mills are perfect for creating accurate slots, grooves, and contours with consistent balance. Their ability to machine intricate shapes renders them valuable in the Aviation and Automotive industries.

Gear Manufacturing: Side mills are frequently used to mill gear teeth because of their high dimensional accuracy and excellent surface finishes in gear fabrication processes.

Cutting Deep or Narrow Features: These features can be machined efficiently thanks to their specific design that allows deeper cuts to be made to components, particularly in die and mold manufacturing.

Production of Flat and Inclined Surfaces: Enhancing general machining purposes, side mills can also be used to create flat surfaces and inclined planes.

Benefits 

Enhanced Precision: Side mills further enable the manufacturing of complicated designs with a highly precise nature because of the great accuracy offered.

Improved Material Removal Rate: These machines enable great efficiency with material removal due to their cutting geometry, resulting in time savings in processes with high production rates.

Extended Tool Life: In operations of side milling, side mills are less likely to wear and are therefore more cost-effective when employed with adequate feeds, speeds, and lubrication.

Wide-ranging Material Applications: These tools have a broad application with various materials such as aluminum, steel, titanium, and composite materials and are thus vital in almost every industry.

Cost-effectiveness: Side mills can minimize manufacturing expenditure by eliminating secondary steps and permitting multi-purpose machining operations.

Because of the combination of their extensive usage, benefits, and functionality, side mills are essential components in contemporary machining processes. Their impact is especially important in highly precise sectors that demand dependability and the utmost operational efficiency.

How to Choose the Right Side Milling Cutter for Your Needs

Considerations for Diameter and Tooth Configuration

When it comes to the choice of side milling cutters, their efficiency, and working depth are closely measured against the diameter and the tooth configuration of the cutter. Selecting the appropriate diameter for the cutter dictates how deep of a cut will be made, as well as how much material is removed in each pass. For heavy materials, it is recommended that larger diameter cutters be used; smaller diameter cutters, on the other hand, are better suited for finer and more precise tasks/operations.

The same can be said for tooth configuration. Feed rate and surface finish quality are both impacted by the teeth count of the cutter. Cutters with higher teeth counts tend to have a finer surface finish because of their ability to sustain higher feed rates. On the other hand, cutters with fewer teeth generate larger chip loads and are better suited for roughing tasks. The best outputs are often the result of a strategic balance of the tooth count and hardness of the material; for example, softer materials tend to require fewer teeth with wider gullets for better chip removal.

Moreover, the helix angle and the material makeup of the cutter should be taken into consideration. In the case of difficult or stiff alloys, higher helix angles tend to allow for cutting with less vibration and smoother actions. In addition, the use of modern coatings like TiAlN (Titanium Aluminum Nitride) aids greatly in prolonging the life of the tool because the coating reduces overheating and increases resistance to wear during fast-speed usage.

Manufacturers are able to improve productivity in machining and broaden their efficiency range in working with materials and applications by analyzing these specifications.

Selecting the Appropriate Material for Your Cutter

Choosing the right cutter material is a decision that will critically affect the efficiency of machining, tool life, as well as the final surface finish. The latest development in machinery construction has widened the range of materials for tools available to modern-day machinery, as well as work-piece materials. Following is a summary of the outlines that should be considered for material selection.

1. Cutter Materials: HSS: General-purpose machining is mainly done using HSS cutters, which have good toughness and wear resistance. They are also suitable in intermittent cutting operations like side-milling as they stand up well during wear in comparison with other advanced covered materials. They are cheaper, but like all other advanced materials, they have limitations regarding extremely high speeds and very hard materials.
2. Cermet: Combining ceramic and metallic materials, cermet tools achieve a sophisticated balance between wear resistance and toughness. They are widely used during finishing operations due to their ability to achieve superior surface quality while prolonging tool life.
3. Machined Ceramics: Tools made of ceramics have exceptional resistance to both heat and abrasives which makes them suitable for machining hard materials. Their performance in high-speed turning of cast irons or even high-temperature alloys is impressive, but they operate best when machining speeds are constant, as they are prone to breaking due to their brittleness.
4. Cubic Boron Nitride: Tools made using CBN have ultra-hardness which makes them ideal for cutting hardened steels and superalloys. They outperform CBN tools in durability and are commonly used for finishing operations that have close tolerance intervals. The drawback is the price, which makes them valuable and requires meticulous thought as to whether the cost would be beneficial in the long term.
5. Polycrystalline Diamond: Often used in side-milling due to their excellent resistance to wearing out. PCD tools are the industry standard for non-ferrous and composite materials due to their unmatched hardness and abrasive wear resistance. They surpass carbide tools when machining aluminum, composites, and graphite, however, unlike ferrous materials, their reaction with certain metals at elevated temperatures limits their application.
6. It is necessary to think about the machining conditions, for example, cutting speed, feed rate, material hardness, and thermal conductivity when selecting the material for your cutter. For example, in high-volume production environments, carbide tools are useful when paired with optimal cutting speeds because they significantly reduce cycle times and thereby boost productivity. In addition, advanced tool coatings like TiN (Titanium Nitride) and DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) increase tool material effectiveness, durability, and strength by decreasing sliding friction and wear on the tools even more.

The combination of these factors with the most current information regarding cutting tool material features enables manufacturers to customize their tools in a more precise, efficient, and economical way. Therefore, matching the cutter material to distinct application criteria not only guarantees exceptional machining results but also ensures that operational costs are reduced over time.

Evaluating Speed and Feed Rates for Optimal Performance

My primary objective in analyzing speed and feed rates is finding a perfect equilibrium that maximizes the amount of material removed while simultaneously extending the tool’s life. In determining the optimal conditions, I take into account the workpiece’s material characteristics, the cutting tool’s details, and the required surface finish. These values are then adjusted based on the manufacturer’s recommendations, as well as practical tests that I perform to tailor them to particular machining environments. This careful modification guarantees effectiveness, precision, and less total wear on the tools, thus enhancing their longevity and durability.

Common Challenges in Side Milling and How to Overcome Them

Dealing with Tool Wear and Longevity Issues

Wear and tear on tooling is one of the major concerns on any side of milling operations because of the direct link to how effective the machining processes is regarding time, the complexity of the work, and the costs incurred. Long periods of usage and not-so-ideal parameters can lead to accelerated tool wear, resulting in poor surface finishes and eventual tool breakage. The outline below contains the various underlying reasons, forms of wear, and how to overcome these challenges:

1. The Basics of Tool Wear

• Cutting Speed and Feed Rates: Extremely high cutting speed or feed rates lead to considerable heat and friction, which cause the tool to wear much faster.
• Material Hardness: The workpiece should be made softer because it will impose a large amount of wear on the cutting tool.
• Improper Coolant Utilization: There is not enough cooling or lubrication applied while the milling process is taking place, which means there is too much heat generated, causing thermal stress and tool wear.
• Vibration and Chatter: A lack of stability when machining leads to unpredictable forces acting on the tool which will cause diagonal wear of the tool edges.

2. Common Forms of Tool Wear

• Crater Wear: It occurs on the rake face of the tool which is caused by the friction and movement of the workpiece material passing across the face of the tool during side-milling.
• Flank Wear: It is observed on the contact area between the tool and the machined part and it is due to rubbing from the cutting.
• Thermal Cracking: This occurs due to heating and cooling cycles from repeated application of the tool under variable cutting conditions.
• Built-Up Edge Formation: It occurs when the tool’s cutting edge has material bonded onto its surface which reduces the functionality of the tool.

Tools and Data Mitigation Techniques

Tool Material Selection:

• To minimize abrasion, use high-speed steel (HSS) or tungsten carbide tools for hard materials.
• Consider using coated tools like TiN or aluminum oxide that are more resistant to overheating.
• Cutting Parameters in side-milling requires more precise overseeing to achieve better results.:
• Tests indicate that optimal cutting speed, along with the feed rate for the specific workpiece material, results in tool wear being reduced by 15 – 25%.
• Reduce cutting speed by 10 – 20% for materials with high thermal conductivity to minimize heat retention.

Effective Cooling Systems:

• Research suggests that high coolant delivery performance can yield up to a 40% reduction in tool wear.
• In high tram resistance milling operations, it is recommended to use mist flooding cooling techniques.
• Regular Tool Maintenance:
• Tools should be replaced proactively before catastrophic failure happens, but this requires some form of tool wear assessment by either machine sensors or manual inspection.
• Predictive maintenance approaches can be adopted by analyzing tool life data.

Side milling effectiveness is assured by prolonging tool life, increasing productivity, and improving cost efficiency through strategically addressing tool wear with a blend of decisions and technically corrective actions.

Managing Vibration and Ensuring a Rigid Setup

Maintaining a rigid setup and minimizing vibration is very important to achieve a good quality of machining work, especially in precision milling. Left unattended, vibration can negatively affect a surface finish, tool life, and dimensional accuracy. Research suggests that the life span of a tool may be decreased by as much as 15%-50% if there is too much vibration, depending on the machining context as well as the material characteristics.

To solve this problem, the side-milling operations can be performed with the help of a vibration damping technology, like tuned mass dampers (TMD) or passive damping devices. These instruments capture and displace vibrational energy, increasing the stability of the cutting process. Besides supporting machine tools is also important. This can be accomplished by firmly gripping the workpiece, applying proper clamps, and…

Troubleshooting Surface Finish Problems

To fix surface finishes, pay attention to the following factors:

1. Condition of the tool: Look for signs of wear or damage on the cutting blades, especially the ones used on the side-milling. Dull and damaged blades create poor finishes and must be changed without delay.
2. Cutting parameters: Check side-milling speeds for the effective speed, feed rate, and depth of cut. Too much speed or too much feed may cause rough surfaces, and too little depth may cause the tool to chatter.
3. Coolant use: Check that coolant is correctly applied for heat reduction, and a maintained smooth cutting flow. Lack of sufficient coolant can thermal distortion or irregular surfaces.
4. Machinery stability: Check that the machine and workpiece are set up and secured for the minimization of vibrations. Unstable setups produce poor surface finishes.

If you correct these factors, the surface finish will improve over time.

Exploring Different Milling Methods for Superior Surface Finish

The Differences Between Conventional and Climb Milling

The main differences between conventional and climb milling lie in the direction of the cutting forces and how they affect the surface finish and tool life.

1. Conventional Milling: This milling technique is carried out in the opposite direction of the tool’s rotation. It helps in achieving lower initial cutting forces but leads to more wear on the cutting edge and shattering at the surface as a result of friction. It is most frequently employed for harder materials or when rigidity is a matter of concern, particularly in side-milling processes.
2. Climb Milling: This technique is where the workpiece feeds in the same direction that the tool is rotating. It utilizes smoother cuts with low friction and heat which improves surface finishes, increases tool life, and results in a smoother finished product. It does require the machine to have a rigid setup to avoid tool deflection or part movement, especially with side milling.

The decision for these methods relies on the material, sought-after surface quality, and stability of the machine. When conditions allow, climb milling is the preferred option for optimum surface finishes.

How Horizontal and Vertical Mills Affect the Process

The basic differences between a horizontal and vertical mill lie in the mechanics of its movement and what it is capable of doing. To put it simply, its design determines how it functions.

Horizontal Mills

A horizontal milling machine has its spindle on a horizontal plane, providing maximum efficiency when removing material during heavy-cutting operations. These machines are highly proficient with slot cutting, gear cutting, and facing. In addition, horizontal mills have arbor attachments which allow them to mount several cutting tools at a time. This feature greatly enhances productivity in large-scale manufacturing tasks. Recent studies indicate that horizontal milling is more rigid, which is favorable for machining harder materials as the tool tends to deflect more. In addition, horizontal mills can cut deep pockets or cavities which is beneficial for industries like aerospace or automotive manufacturing.

Vertical mills differ from other machines, as they possess a vertical spindle angle. These machines are flexible and simple to use. Vertical mills are most common in instances where precision needs to be maintained like die sinking and mold production. While the operator is machining with a vertical mill, they are able to see the detail of the work they are doing and therefore are able to have better quality control over the surface detail. For low and medium production volumes, it has also been proven that vertical mills are more economical. Their ease of use and smaller footprint prove beneficial for toolrooms and smaller workshop spaces as well.

Key Comparisons

Vertical mills come with reduced setup and operational costs in contrast to horizontal mills which come with their fabrication efficiency and strong hold on the material. Flexibility fusion with efficiency, allows vertical mills to get the work done most effectively. On the other hand, due to having numerous advantages, horizontal mills do need greater time to set up. Heavy-duty machining scenarios work well with horizontal mills, but other machines make a mark with vertical construction. Adaptive work and precision are the strong points of these other machines. Once manufacturers are educated about the differences between the two options, then they will be able to choose which type best fulfills the project specifics, targets, tolerances, materials, and the required production volume.

Utilizing CNC Technology for Precision and Efficiency

With the implementation of innovation and Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) technology, industries have witnessed a notable increase in automation, efficiency, and error reduction in the machining processes. Current side mugs CNC machines utilize advanced software and hardware alongside sophisticated programming to achieve tolerances of ±0.0001 inches. Further, multi-axis functionality, for instance, 5-axis machining, enables these tools to produce complex shapes in comparison to traditional methods that require a greater number of setups and more time, thereby improving accuracy in complex components.

According to research, CNC automation has the potential to halve production cycle times, which results in impressive savings for manufacturers. In addition, much lower material costs are incurred through real-time toolpath adjustment that corrects the automated processes. Furthermore, these machines are built with IoT components that allow for energy monitoring and the detection of maintenance issues resulting in reduced energy consumption. From aerospace to medical device manufacturers, businesses are increasingly adopting CNC technology due to its ability to increase productivity and quality standards simultaneously.

Safety Considerations in Side Milling Operations

Importance of Wearing Safety Glasses and Protective Gear

Employing safety glasses and other protective gear while milling by the side goes a long way in reducing the chances of sustaining injuries and accidents in the workplace. A study conducted revealed that around 2000 workers in the United States sustain eyeball injuries on a daily basis and a lot of them come from manufacturing activities such as machining. While specialized goggles with antifogging lenses and impact resistance shielding unfogged users’ sight from flying trash, metal cuttings, and coolant showers from fast milling processes offer a greater level of speed and protection to the user’s eyes during powerful shredding milling processes.

Moreover, protective clothing such as gloves and everyday clothing and bears protect against noise pollution and overheating and aid protective undersurfaces and excessive bearing arms and feet. Such as, machinist gloves expose the palm side for protection, but increase the user’s grip on the work tool. Ear guards protect the user’s ears from losing hearing because they are exposed to areas with noise levels over 85dB for long periods. The enforced use of quality PPE, accompanied by sufficient policy educational training, reduces workplace injuries by 60% percent, as recent workplace safety research found. Emphasis on these strategies not only enhances legal obligations but also guarantees safety and efficiency in industrial setups.

Ensuring a Safe Work Environment in the Machining Process

The integration of machine-safeguarding technologies and automation is essential in modern industrial practices to boost safety in machining environments. As noted before, machine safeguarding includes physical barriers, presence-sensing devices, and interlocking systems that stop operation once any sort of danger is detected. Data suggests that implementing safeguarding systems can reduce machinery-related accidents by 70%. This amazing rate will allow for profound decreases in injury rates.

Automation assists in further reducing human interaction with dangerous equipment. CNC computer-automated machines and robotic arms eliminate the need for man-powered aid with cutting, milling, and assembly. This technique increases accuracy and productivity while decreasing the most common cause of workplace accidents: human error. Industry reports show that facilities with higher levels of automation have a 50% reduction in workplace incidents which helps safety performance.

Manufacturers who use these technologies can work in an environment that emphasizes operational excellence and employee welfare. With the combination of automation and safeguarding mechanisms, efficiency and safety are ensured in machining processes whilst remaining compliant with standard procedures and regulatory requirements.

Understanding and Implementing Industry Standards

Consistency, safety, and quality across manufacturing and production processes require implementing standards for an industry. Identifying which standards to follow, such as ISO certifications, ANSI guidelines, or sector-specific requirements like ASME standards for mechanical engineering, is the first step for an organization.

Businesses are now required to perform a gap analysis to identify non-compliance zones and institute corrective actions like updating policies, training staff, or acquiring new equipment. Continuous evaluations facilitate adherence to compliance and improvement. Following mandated industry standards guarantees enhanced company reliability, meeting regulatory obligations, and establishing trust with stakeholders.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What Is Side Milling And How Is It Different From Plain Milling?

A: Similar to plane milling, side milling is one of several machining processes accomplished using side milling cutters. In side milling, the side of the cutter engages the workpiece material and rotates in the same vertical level, while the periphery of the cutter is used in plain milling. Additionally, side milling Supercedes plane milling in refining slots, decreasing grooves, and flat surface and position to the workpiece. It is also more efficient in removing material and is used in more demanding manufacturing processes.

Q: What Cutting Tools Are Used Often For Side Milling?

A: The most popular tools are side milling cutters and end mills. End mills are multipurpose tools; they can perform side-cutting and end-cutting. Side milling cutters can only perform side cutting. These tools can be made of different materials, and in this case, carbide is more common because of its resistance to abrasion and heat. It is important to consider the side of the cutting tool regarding its wear, the material of the workpiece, the quality of the final surface, and given machining conditions.

Q: How does the choice of steel or carbide affect side milling performance?

A: The choice of steel or carbide cutting tools possesses a huge difference when it comes to side milling performance. Carbide tools are known to possess greater hardness, high resistance to wear, and heat resistance relative to steel tools. Therefore, they can operate at higher cutting speeds and result in a longer tool life, particularly with harder materials. Steel tools, on the other hand, are far cheaper and may be better suited for softer materials or lower cutting speeds. A decision between steel and carbide tools will always have the range of productivity and application for the material being machined attached to it.

Q: What are the key considerations for achieving precise results in side milling?

A: When a machinist aims for precision in results in side milling, many factors must be focused on. These factors range from ensuring the best selection of cutting tools, tool holders, cutting speed, and feed with proper workpiece fixture along with machine tool accuracy to achieve targeted precision. Other factors to put in mind are coolant, chip evacuation, and tool wear monitoring. Implementing techniques such as climb milling and conventional milling can also aid in the precision of side milling. A side milling machine should be regularly calibrated and accurate measurement systems and devices should be used to achieve precision in the side milling operations.

Q: What are the differences between side milling performed on a horizontal mill and that done using a vertical machining center?

A: Side milling done on a horizontal mill has benefits over vertical machining centers when dealing with bigger workpieces. Horizontal mills have a better chip removal capability due to gravity assisting in the movement of the chips away from the cutting zone, which improves the surface finishes and tool life. Additionally, horizontal mills have a lower surface finish compared to vertical mills, but they are usually more rigid which is helpful when performing heavy side milling. Nonetheless, vertical machining centers are more flexible compared with horizontal mills and can perform end milling and side milling with ease. The decision made is always based on the equipment available, the nature of the work to be performed, or a combination of both.

Q: What are the recommended guidelines for the creation of slots and grooves through side milling techniques?

A: The Steps involved in the creation of a slot or a groove by side milling requires you to firstly choose the slot cutter diameter that is in proportion to the slot width. For best-case scenarios, the cutter width should be smaller than the slot width to enhance the finishing passes. Make sure to align the tools correctly and try to only use climb milling as it yields greater surface finishes. When dealing with deeper slots, be mindful of the depth of cut and the number of passes that will be needed. The use of coolant is vital as it helps to control the chip and heat removal. Finally, when creating side milling grooves, consider tool runout and use groove milling cutters when necessary.

Q: What are the techniques to optimize side milling parameters for higher efficiency?

A: For effective side milling, the cutting speed (surface feet per minute or meters per minute), feed rate, and depth of cut are critical cutting parameters that need to be defined. These parameters depend on the workpiece, tool material, and surface finish requirements. Refer to tool manufacturers’ recommendations as a starting point, and adjust as necessary based on empirical data. Optimal parameter values may also be retrieved from CAM software. Tool wear, chip form, and surface finish characteristics should be monitored to adjust parameters further. An effective balance between side milling material removal rates and achieved tool life, as well as surface quality, is essential for overall efficient and cost-effective side milling.

Reference Sources

1. With a Focus on the Mechanism of Milling and Surface Roughness Prediction for Ultrasonic Vibration Assisted Side Milling of Ti–6Al–4 V

1. By: W. Ming et al
2. Published In: The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology
3. Posting Date: 27 February 2023
4. Citations: 5
5. Analysis: This research addresses the milling mechanism of the Ti–6Al–4 V alloy and creates a model for predicting surface roughness for ultrasonic vibration-assisted side milling with the aid of computer programming. The authors examine the impact of ultrasonic vibration on the cutting process and develop a comprehensive model that takes various cutting parameters into account. Results show that the application of ultrasonic vibration is beneficial in enhancing surface quality while decreasing cutting forces.

2. Side-Milling-Force Model Considering Tool Runout and Workpiece Deformation

• Authors: M. Xie et al.
• Journal: Electronics
• Publication Date: February 15, 2023
• Citations: 3
• Summary: Here, a side-milling-force model is proposed that considers tool runout and work-piece deformation during the milling of titanium alloys. The authors develop a geometric parameter model based on tool motion to obtain an undeformed cutting thickness model. The results validated experimentally confirm that the developed model is better at predicting the milling forces than traditional models.

3. The Defect Suppression and Grain Refinement during the Ultrasonic vibration-assisted side Milling of GH4169 Superalloy

• By: Baoqi Chang and others
• Publication: Journal of Manufacturing Processes.
• Date Published: January 1, 2023
• Citations: 15
• Description: The purpose of this article is to analyze the impacts of ultrasonic vibration-assisted side milling on the defect suppression and grain refinement of the GH4169 superalloy. It is revealed that ultrasonic vibration assists in the machining process by reducing the defects and refining the microstructural features. The study sheds light on the modification of milling parameters to enhance superalloy machining productivity.

4. Milling (machining)

5. Machining

6. Numerical control