Substitution of Coolant by Using a Closed Internally Cooled Milling Tool

The saving of raw materials plays a major role in industry and is becoming increasingly important. In the field of cutting technology, the aim is to maximise practices such as the substitution of coolant and the steady increase of tool life in order to make an effective contribution towards environmental protection. Concerning the saving of coolant and to enhance the performance in dry machining a milling tool with a closed internally cooled system was developed. Heatpipes are applied which ensure improved heat dissipation from the cutting edge because of their excellent thermal conductivity. The dissipated heat is subsequently delivered to the surroundings via a heat sink. This contribution describes how the performance of a standard tool can be enhanced by the integration of a closed internally cooled system. Simulations of the heat distribution in the tool have been conducted to design and optimise the prototype. Hence, milling tests on duplex steel and temperature measurements in the cutting process have been carried out to verify and further optimise these simulation results.