Orthogonal cutting with additively manufactured grooving inserts made from HS6-5-3-8 high-speed steel

Abstract. Additive manufacturing (AM) of cutting materials such as high-speed steel (HSS) is very challenging. So far, the impact of the layer-by-layer manufacturing technique onto the AM tool performance during machining is widely unknown. In this study, the performance characteristics of AM grooving inserts manufactured from HS6-5-3-8 (ASP 2030) in AM Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process were investigated in fundamental cutting experiments. Six different workpiece materials were analyzed and two different parameter sets for the LPBF process investigated. All AM grooving inserts withstood the thermal and mechanical stresses during machining of the investigated materials. Based on these results, AM threading tools manufactured from HS6-5-3-8 will be investigated in a next step, using the geometrical freedom of the AM process for an adapted channel and outlet nozzle design of the internal cutting fluid supply.