Wiper Tools in Turning Finishing of Quenched Steel

In the last years, the research on metal machining has been focused on the development of tools that can support an increment of the cutting parameters instead of the increment of tool life; this strategy is focused to obtain a relevant productivity increment without getting worse the final product quality. The new design of the tool corner radius has allowed preserving the same product quality due to the "wiper effect" generated during the cut. The employ of such re-designed tools can allow substantial productivity improvements and, by employing the same feedrate, it is possible to achieve excellent surface finish and eliminate the grinding operation. With the aim to verify the possibility to realize good finishing on hardened materials with the above mentioned new tool-manufacturing technology the Authors conducted a set of turning tests on a quenched steel. The quality of the manufactured products are compared with the one obtained by grinding. The final product qualities are compared in terms of micro geometrical characteristics and tolerances of the obtained workpiece surfaces are investigated to completely determine its mechanical performances.