Effects of the Manufacturing Chain on the Surface Integrity when Machining Fir Tree Slots with Alternative Manufacturing Processes

The use of materials with increasing thermo-mechanical strengths for turbine disks and new designs inducing filigree geometries bring conventional manufacturing processes to their technical and economical limits. Investigations regarding alternative manufacturing technologies showed advantages compared to conventional broaching with high-speed steel (HSS) cutting tool material. Surface integrity is particularly crucial for the technological evaluation. However, this aspect has not been considered after downstream processes in which the machined surface integrity is modified. Therefore, the surface integrity of Inconel 718 machined by alternative manufacturing processes including wire EDM, ECM and broaching with cemented carbide is investigated after downstream processes, etching and shot peening.