The influence of the crystallographic structure of the substrate material on surface quality and cutting forces in micromaching

In micromachining copper with a monocrystalline diamond cutting tool the cutting process takes mainly place inside the single grains of the bulk material because of the small cutting area. For a basic process understanding it is therefore necessary to know the chip removal mechanism in cutting monocrystalline bulk materials. The chip removal in cutting copper monocrystalls is strongly influenced by the crystallographic cutting direction. The best surface qualities are reached by cutting in a crystallographic direction with a low work hardening rate and a high shear strain.