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Procedia CIRP 14 (2014) 83 – 88

6th CIRP International Conference on High Performance Cutting, HPC2014

Machinability of powder metallurgy steels using PcBN inserts

Rachid M’Saoubia*, Tobias Czotschera,b, Olof Andersson c, Daniel Meyerb
a
R&D Material and Technology Development Seco Tools AB, Björnbacksvägen 02, SE-73782 Fagersta, Sweden
b
Foundation Institute of Materials Science (IWT), Badgasteiner Str. 3, D-28359 Bremen, Germany
c
Höganäs AB, Bruksgatan 35 , SE-263 83 Höganäs
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +46 223 406 68; fax: +46 223 718 60. E-mail address: Rachid.Msaoubi@secotools.com

Abstract

Primary manufacturing of steels by powder metallurgy (PM) is of increasing interest for a wide range of industrial applications. Especially in
automotive parts and tools, PM materials are utilized, as they show advantageous behavior regarding chemical, mechanical and functional
properties as well as resource efficiency. Consequently, machining of these materials is an emerging topic for both, industry and science. This
paper addresses the machinability of PM steels. Two PM high speed steels (HSS) were characterized and machined varying the machining
parameters and edge preparation (PcBN inserts) in longitudinal and orthogonal hard turning. Furthermore, the influence of manganese sulfides
(MnS) in the PM material was analyzed by comparing experiments applying alloys with defined content of MnS. Besides tool life and
achievable surface roughness, the surface integrity was assessed. The results reveal that the amount and shape of carbides as well as the
porosity of the PM steels play an important role in the wear mechanism when machining this kind of materials. As expected, addition of MnS
leads to a decrease of cutting forces and allows for significantly higher tool life. The influence of machining parameters and the tool edge
geometry is discussed. Based on the results, suitable cutting conditions for machining of PM steels can be derived.
© 2014
© 2014 The Authors.
Published byPublished by Elsevier
Elsevier B.V. B.V. under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Open access
Selection and
Selection andpeer-review
peer-reviewunder
underresponsibility of of
responsibility thethe
International Scientific
International Committee
Scientific of theof6th
Committee theCIRP International
6th CIRP Conference
International on High
Conference
Performance
on Cutting. Cutting
High Performance

Keywords: Machinability, Cutting, Steel, PM Steel

1. Introduction applications. The synthetically produced cutting tools show

For several industrial products, the application of powder
metallurgical (PM) steels is a promising approach, as the
materials feature several advantageous properties. High
mechanical strength, wear resistance, and the possibility of
near net shape manufacturing [1] led to the increasing
relevance of PM steels in the automotive sector or tool
manufacturing [2].
The mechanical properties of PM steels, which allow for
high functional performance of the components, based on the
combination of carbides embedded in a hard matrix [3] affect
the machinability considerably. Thus, machining of powder
metallurgical high speed steel alloys requires sophisticated
machining processes [4 - 6]. For cutting operations, high-
performance cutting tool materials such as cemented carbides,
high alloyed tool steels, and polycrystalline cubic boron
nitride (PcBN) have to be applied [7]. Especially PcBN tools
are of increasing interest in this field of machining
favorable performance like high strength, good thermal
conductivity, and heat resistance up to 1500 °C [8].
Furthermore, these inserts are chemically inert against iron
and its alloys, which make them a suitable option for high-
performance cutting of PM steels [9].
There are many factors influencing the machinability of
PM steels in a negative or positive way. The porosity
determines mechanical properties and deteriorates the
machinability compared to wrought steels [10]. Furthermore,
the material microstructure, whether heterogeneous or
homogeneous, influences the requirements regarding the
cutting process [11, 12]. One way to improve the
machinability of hard-to-cut materials is the addition of MnS,
which have been described to facilitate machining [13].
However, the large variety of different compositions of
powder metallurgical steels restrains the identification of
certain outlines and general machining advices [7].

2212-8271 © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the International Scientific Committee of the 6th CIRP International Conference
on High Performance Cutting
doi:10.1016/j.procir.2014.03.094
84 Rachid M’Saoubi et al. / Procedia CIRP 14 (2014) 83 – 88

Hence, the main focus of the investigations presented in 3. Results and Discussion
this paper is to analyze the effects of defined variations of the
materials composition on the machinability and the surface 3.1. Longitudinal Turning
integrity.
The results of the tool wear test in longitudinal turning
2. Experimental Setup (Fig. 1) indicate higher tool life when cutting the workpiece
material M2 compared to OB1 independently from the
Two different PM high speed steels were pressed, sintered, content of MnS.
and subsequently analyzed regarding their chemical 200
composition (Table 1). Additionally, samples made of the M2+MnS
same materials with 1 wt% of manganese sulfide (MnS) 100
additive were sintered to allow for investigation of the effects
of the content of sulfides on machinability. The geometry of
40 OB1+MnS

Tool life Tc in min

the workpieces was ring-shaped with an outer diameter of
M2
35 mm and an inner diameter of 25 mm. The height of the 20
samples was 25 mm. The hardness of the workpieces varied
according to the chemical composition within a range of 550 10
to 690 HV0.1.
OB1

Table 1: Composition of work materials 4

Composition in wt%
2
Material C Mn Si Cr V W Mo Insert: S10-01030
M2 0.83 0.27 0.32 3.13 1.97 5.12 5.00 1
100 150 200 250 300
OB1 1.50 - 0.50 16.00 1.00 1.50 1.50 Cutting speed vc in m/min

Machining experiments with varied edge preparation of
PcBN inserts and cutting parameters have been performed in
longitudinal (vc = 150, 200, 250 m/min; f = 0.1 mm/rev and
ap = 0.1 mm) and orthogonal (vc = 150, 200, 250 m/min;
f = 0.050, 0.075, 0.100 mm/rev and ap = 1.75 mm) hard
turning using a Swedturn 300 CNC lathe. For both processes,
the cutting tools consisted of PcBN Seco grade CBN200. The
effect of the tool geometry was considered to reveal the wear
mechanisms and to identify the decisive factors allowing for
high performance cutting of PM steels. Tool geometry was
varied regarding the chamfer angle (Jf = 15, 20, 30°) and edge
radius (rE = 10, 25, 40 μm). All experiments were run under
Fig. 1: Tool wear test with insert S10-01030 (chamfer angle Jf = 30°, edge
radius rE = 10 μm)
Independent from the tool geometry, higher wear rates
were caused by the OB1 material as shown in Fig. 2
comparing typical SEM views of the worn cutting edges of
identical inserts (chamfer angle Jf = 15°, edge radius rE = 10
μm) after 25 m path length. The figure also indicates a built-
up-edge generated in the cutting experiments using OB1 as a
workpiece material.
Insert: S10-01015 Insert: S10-01015
Material: M2 Material: OB1

dry conditions. Path Length: 25 m

vc = 150 m/min
Path Length: 25 m
vc = 150 m/min
During the orthogonal and longitudinal turning
experiments, feed rate, cutting speed, and insert geometry
were varied. Tool wear tests were performed in longitudinal
turning and tool wear was measured at regular path length
40 µm 40 µm
intervals using a toolmaker microscope. The tool life criterion
was, either maximum flank wear VBmax = 0.2 mm or crater
depth of KT = 0.1 mm. The forces were measured using a Fig. 2: SEM measurements comparing cutting inserts (chamfer angle Jf = 15°,
edge radius rE = 10 μm) after 25 m path length in a) M2 and b) OB1
standard dynamometer and tool temperature field was
determined using an IR-CCD based technique. Details about
A significant influence on tool wear was obtained for the
temperature measurement method are described in earlier
workpiece materials with increased amount of manganese
investigation [14].
sulfides resulting in up to a three-fold increase in tool life. An
The surface topography of the machined surface and the
increase of cutting speed has an expected negative effect on
inserts were characterized using an Alicona Infinite Focus 3D
the tool life. No significant influence of the insert geometry
optical microscope. Moreover, post-cutting observations of
on the wear behavior has been observed in the context of this
the wear scars on the inserts were done using a high resolution
study. The wear behavior of inserts with a edge radius of rE =
scanning electron microscope FEG-SEM LEO Ultra 55
10 μm and a chamfer angle of Jf = 30° (same tool geometry as
together with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX)
in Fig. 1) applied at the highest investigated cutting speeds is
measurements.
shown in Fig. 3 for the end of the experiments (tool life
criterion achieved).
 Rachid M’Saoubi et al. / Procedia CIRP 14 (2014) 83 – 88 85

Distinct crater and flank wear patterns were observed for
all inserts. The formation of a distinct layer of MnS on top of
the crater of the inserts was observed when machining the PM
variants containing MnS additives. On the other hand, the
presence of fine grooves, typical of abrasive wear on the
flank, and adhesion of the work material were observed on the
inserts machining the standard PM variants.
Insert: S10-01030
Material: M2
vc = 250 m/min
as shown in Fig. 4 and summarized in Table 4. The results
clearly indicate that the best surface finish can be achieved
using M2 and OB1+MnS workmaterials, whereas the worst
surface finish is measured using OB1. The content of MnS
seems to have a slightly negative effect on surface finish for
M2. In contrast, manganese sulfides in OB1 appear to
improve the surface roughness.
Insert: S10-01030
Material: OB1
vc = 250 m/min

Built-up edge
Fig. 4: Machined surface of M2 - measured with Alicona

50 µm 50 µm
Table 4: Surface finish of all materials cut by S10-01030 (chamfer angle
Insert: S10-01030 Insert: S10-01030
Jf = 30°, edge radius rE = 10 μm) at different speeds
Material: M2+MnS Material: OB1+MnS M2 OB1 M2+MnS OB1+MnS
vc = 250 m/min vc = 250 m/min
vc
[m/min] 150 250 150 250 150 250 150 250

Ra 0.36 0.46 0.54 0.82 0.58 0.54 0.30 0.38

MnS Notch
Rz 1.75 2.19 3.07 4.10 2.76 2.60 1.71 1.94
50 µm 50 µm Sa 0.35 0.45 0.49 0.81 0.62 0.54 0.31 0.39
Sz 3.38 4.07 7.41 10.16 6.51 4.41 7.30 3.92
Fig. 3 Wear on worn tools (vc = 250 m/min, chamfer angle Jf = 30°, edge
radius rE = 10 μm) cut a) M2, b) OB1, c) M2 MnS, and d) OB1 MnS
Higher cutting speeds and even the increasing crater depth
Comparing the summarizing results of the crater wear have a positive influence on surface finish.
analysis at the rake face (presented in Table 2 and Table 3) A closer SEM examination of the machined surface of M2
with the tool life time tests (defined by the wear of the flank and OB1 (Fig. 5) reveals that the surface of M2 is somewhat
face), identical wear behavior can be obtained. The highest smoother, whereas the surface of OB1 shows the presence of
crater and largest amount of volume removed over path length cavities and cracks. The machined surfaces from OB1 with
are measured on inserts used to cut OB1, whereas M2 with MnS reveal comparably small cracks, whereas larger cracks,
manganese sulfides causes the lowest crater. cavities and even break outs occur at the surface of OB1
without MnS.
Table 2: Crater wear analysis at vc = 150 m/min, chamfer angle Jf = 30°, edge Insert: S25-01020 Insert: S25-01020
radius rE = 10 μm Material: M2 Material: OB1
vc = 200 m/min vc = 200 m/min
Break out
Material Path Crater Crater ratio Crater Volume
length depth KT’ volume V ratio V’
lc [m] KT [μm/m] [μm3] [μm³/m³]
[μm] Cavity

M2 5800 36.4 17.3*10-³ 533393 9.2*109

OB1 2900 55.0 21.8*10-³ 678323 23.4*109 5 µm 5 µm

M2+MnS 10875 20.1 2.9*10-³ 271873 2.5*109 Insert: S25-01020 Insert: S25-01020
Material: M2+MnS Material: OB1+MnS
OB1+MnS 8700 50.8 9.6*10-³ 677602 7.8*109 vc = 200 m/min vc = 200 m/min

Feed marks Cracks

Table 3: Crater wear analysis at vc = 250 m/min, chamfer angle Jf = 30°,
edge radius rE = 10 μm
Material Path length Crater Crater Crater Volume 5 µm 5 µm
lc [m] depth ratio volume ratio V’
KT KT’ V [μm3] [μm³/m³]
[μm] [μm/m] Fig. 5: Machined surface of a) M2, b) OB1, c) M2 MnS, and b) OB1 MnS
(chamfer angle Jf = 20°, edge radius rE = 25 μm)
M2 3625 44.6 12.3*10 ³ -
488108 13.5*10 9

OB1 1450 41.6 28.7*10-³ 478849 33.0*109 A further investigation of the longitudinal cross section of
M2+MnS 18126 67.0 3.7*10 ³ -
995374 5.5*109 the machined surfaces in Fig. 6 demonstrates that in contrast
OB1+MnS 5075 48.6 9.6*10-³ 649638 12.8*109 to OB1, cracks in M2 are observed in the subsurface but do
not emerge from the surface of the deformed top layer.
The forces in longitudinal turning decrease due to the
The corresponding surface topography resulting from the
presence of MnS in the microstructure. Fig. 7 and Fig. 8 show
cutting experiments with varied cutting speeds was measured
86 Rachid M’Saoubi et al. / Procedia CIRP 14 (2014) 83 – 88

the results from the thrust and feed force measurement at
cutting speed vc = 200 m/min and tool geometry (chamfer
angle Jf = 20°, edge radius rE = 25 μm).
process. Similar results were observed for different tool
geometries. This may be due to the chosen finishing
parameters of a cutting depth of ap = 0.1 mm and a feed rate
of f = 0.1 mm/rev. Higher cutting speeds reduce the thrust
forces when cutting materials without additional MnS.

Insert: S25-01020
Insert: S25-01020
3.2. Orthogonal Turning
Material: M2
Material: OB1
vc = 200 m/min
vc = 200 m/min
Orthogonal turning experiments were performed to assess
the influence of feed rate on the cutting forces (Fig. 9 and
Fig. 10). The specific cutting force kc was calculated for all
5 µm 5 µm four materials at three different speeds.
Insert: S25-01020 The highest cutting and feed forces are measured when
Insert: S25-01020
Material: OB1+MnS
vc = 200 m/min
machining M2 work material. Moreover, the forces decrease
Material: M2+MnS if MnS is added to the PM steels. For the presence of
vc = 200 m/min
manganese sulfides, the forces decrease more intensively in
MnS
M2.
500
Insert: S10 standard deviation from five measurements
5 µm 5 µm 450 vc = 150 m/min
Fig. 6: a) M2, b) OB1, c) M2+MnS, and d) OB1 MnS cross-sections
(chamfer angle Jf = 20°, edge radius rE = 25 μm) 400

Feed force Ff in N
350
300 OB1
M2
standard deviation from five measurements
300

250
Insert: S25-01020 250
vc = 200 m/min
Thrust Force Fr in N

200 200
OB1+MnS
M2+MnS
150
150 0,04
0.04 0,05
0.05 0,06
0.06 0,07
0.07 0,08
0.08 0,09
0.09 0,1
0.10 0,11
0.11
M2+MnS OB1+MnS
Feed rate f in mm/rev

100 M2 OB1 Fig. 9: Feed forces at vc = 150 m/min (chamfer angle Jf = 10°)
500
standard deviation from five measurements
50 Insert: S10
450 vc = 150 m/min
M2
Cutting force Fc in N

0 400
new worn
350
Fig. 7: Measured thrust forces on new and worn tools vc = 200 m/min
(chamfer angle Jf = 20°, edge radius rE = 25 μm) 300
M2+MnS
OB1+MnS
250
300 OB1
200
standard deviation from five measurements
250 150
Insert: S25-01020 0,04
0.04 0,05
0.05 0,06
0.06 0,07
0.07 0,08
0.08 0,09
0.09 0,10
0.10 0,11
0.11
Feed Force Fa in N

vc = 200 m/min Feed rate f in mm/rev

200
Fig. 10: Cutting forces at vc = 150 m/min (chamfer angle Jf = 10°)
150 The apparent tool-chip friction coefficients were calculated
based on the equations by Shaw [15] and are given in Fig. 11.
M2+MnS OB1+MnS
100 The friction coefficients are almost the same for all
M2 OB1 investigated materials, which might be due to the chosen
50 finishing parameters. The friction coefficient decreases with
higher feed rates. Although it has been pointed out that
0 manganese sulfides have a “lubricating” effect [16], no
new worn
significant influence of the addition of MnS to the PM steels
Fig. 8: Measured feed forces on new and worn tools vc = 200 m/min (chamfer on the “apparent” tool-chip friction coefficient has been
angle Jf = 20°, edge radius rE = 25 μm)
observed in our investigation. It is therefore suggested that the
machinability of steels including MnS may be improved e.g.
The effect of applying a worn insert (VB max = 0.2 mm) was
additionally documented to analyze the stability of the
 Rachid M’Saoubi et al. / Procedia CIRP 14 (2014) 83 – 88 87

by the prevention of adhesion rather than by a reduction of Temperature measurements were performed by thermal
friction at the tool-chip contact. imaging to analyze the thermal loads during hard turning of
OB1
M2+MnS standard deviation from five measurements PM steels with varied chemical composition. Fig. 14 shows
OB1+MnS
the temperatures in the contact zone for orthogonal turning at
M2
0,40
0.40 vc = 200 m/min. The PcBN-inserts are exposed to high
Insert: S10
0.35
0,35 vc = 150 m/min temperatures up to 860°C. The highest maximum
temperatures (mean value of 30 thermal images) occur in
Friction coefficient µ

0.30
0,30
0.25 cutting experiments using M2 workpiece material
0,25
0.20 (TM2 = 860±6°C). For OB1, the temperature is slightly lower
0,20
0.15
(TOB1 = 800±10°C). This result is in good accordance to the
0,15 specific cutting forces: the highest specific cutting forces are
0.10
0,10
obtained on M2, which leads to higher cutting temperatures.
0.05
The presence of manganese sulfides has a remarkable effect
0,05
0.00
on the cutting temperatures. For M2, the addition of MnS
0,00
0,05 0,075 0,1
leads to a decrease of the maximum temperature to
0.050 0.075 0.100
Feed rate f in mm/rev TM2+MnS = 750±5 °C. In OB1 with higher amounts of MnS, the
maximum temperature is decreased by 15°C to
Fig. 11: Calculated friction coefficients at vc = 150 m/min TOB1+MnS = 785±9°C. As for the tool wear (see Fig. 1), the
(chamfer angle Jf = 10°) effect of adding manganese sulfides to the material is more
pronounced in M2 than in OB1.
The analysis of the specific cutting forces (Fig. 12) reveals

500
525

5
0
500
5
5 900
52

550

500
625 650 5
0
52
M2 OB1

675
550
the highest values for the PM steels without an additional
500

50
52

625
650
5
5 500 500

500
52

600
55 5
5

6575
6062
500

67
6

0 75

500
550
55

525
0
0 5
50

600
550

575
525
amount of MnS. A decrease of kc is apparently achieved by

575

675
0 50
0

575 600 62650 675

700
72 550 525 0 5
5 550 0 0

575
550 52 850
5

50
525
575
the presence of manganese sulfides. This effect is independent
70

700 725
75 52

550

0
50

625650
0
0 60 55

625
550 5 0

650
667
0 0

600
550 7
600 57

500
575
52

5
77

52
5

62 25
72 70 65 5

67560 750 700

5 55

700675
from the applied cutting speed, as in Fig. 13 similar
575

5
5 0 0
75 67 625 0 52
80 500

725750
55
0

550
77 0 52 5

0
0
57 50

60
65 5

70

575
5
75 0 5 0
800

775
80

55
5

relationships occur. In general, the specific cutting forces

0

575
60
625

82 67

0
0 727
0

52
700 5 625

775 0 800 800

5 825750 72

500
550
55
62

57
625

5
5

600

Surface temperature in °C
650
0
5
85

800

5
65
500

0
decrease with higher cutting speeds.

600

500 500
575
75

650

55
725
700
0

6775

5
62
650

60
575

52
75
775
625

0
675 72575
0
67

725

55

575
675
600
5

825

700
750

65
625

5
77
780
77

52
0
600
0

0
57

50 0
67

600
55

550
500
5
5

5
625
72

575
5
62 7550 650 700 550525
4000 5 650 7050 67 525

600
0 500 5

65
57
5 600 6205 575 5552
60 5 500 72650 625 575 550 5

0
550 525
55 675 600 575 5
700 500

500
0 575 52 500
Insert: S10 550 525 625
Specific cutting force kc in N/mm²

500 57 600 500

0
550 5
00

55

55
5
700
vc = 150 m/min

0
500
0
575

25
25
50 525 600

525
675
650

500
700

625

675
M2+MnS OB1+MnS

575
675

OB1 M2
500

600
575650 625
575

700

0
625

70
500
600

650
725

675
550

50
5
525

500
700 675

0
57
675
650

700 725 650 775 675

600
575
0

50
75
575

550

50
600

575
575

52

0
50 750
600

52

3000

5
625

0
725

600
5

650
750

650
550
575

725 675 70
625

625 700 725

0
52

50
50
775 800
700 675

0
600

52
775
600

625
750
650

500
700

52

5
OB1+MnS
57

55
575

5
5
725

55
0
600 650

50
500

0
625

0
0

550
7275

52

57
600

550
57

5
575

750

60
5

50
0

625
675

7 0 52 500 0 52
0
55

65 00 60 5 5 5 500
5

575 550525 500

67
0

0 500
0 5 550 525
M2+MnS 625 50 65062 500
57
57

55 600 00
5

500 5
5

0 60
500
5
525

0
57

500
25

5
0

2000
0,04
0.04 0,08
0.08 0,12
0.12
Fig. 14: Thermal measurement PM-PcBN at vc = 200 m/min
Feed rate f in mm/rev

Fig. 12: Specific cutting force at vc = 150 m/min (chamfer angle Jf = 10°) 4. Summary and Outlook

4000 Tool life, wear behavior, forces and surface integrity of

Insert: S10 machined powder metallurgy steels using different PcBN
Specific cutting force kc in N/mm²

vc = 200 m/min
inserts have been investigated to analyze the machinability of
OB1 PM steels. The results confirm that the addition of MnS
M2
additives in the PM steels consistently improves tool life of
the PcBN inserts and have positive effects on the mechanical
3000
and thermal loads during the cutting process. However, the
addition of higher amounts of MnS inclusions affects the
M2+MnS
process differently in M2 and OB1. A higher increase of tool
life is observed for PcBN inserts cutting M2+MnS compared
OB1+MnS
to OB1+MnS.
2000 Differences in the microstructure clearly affect the wear
0.04
0,04 0.08
0,08
Feed rate f in mm/rev
0.12
0,12
rate in cutting of PM steels. M2 consists of small and fine
dispersed carbides and shows less porosity. High abrasive
Fig. 13: Specific cutting force at vc = 200 m/min (chamfer angle Jf = 10°) wear rates when cutting OB1 as a workpiece material are
mainly caused by big and hard chromium carbides, a higher
88 Rachid M’Saoubi et al. / Procedia CIRP 14 (2014) 83 – 88
amount of carbon, and a microstructure with slightly higher
porosity.
As expected, cutting materials with higher amount of
manganese sulfides results in lower forces. In longitudinal
turning and orthogonal turning, higher forces occurred during
machining of M2. Regarding the specific cutting force and the
cutting temperatures, MnS has a stronger effect in M2 than in
OB1.
Concerning surface finish, MnS has a positive effect in
OB1 but lowers surface quality in M2. The best surface
roughness results are obtained for cutting M2 without MnS
and OB1 with MnS.
No significant effect of the tool geometry (chamfer angle
and/or edge radius) on wear or forces was observed. Bigger
chamfer angle and edge radius seem to slightly affect surface
roughness in a positive way.
To allow for high-performance cutting of PM steels,
parameters such as cutting speed and feed rate seem to have a
more significant influence. Higher feed rates increase the
wear rate, forces, and deteriorate surface finish. Higher
cutting speeds cause higher flank wear, but improve surface
finish. The “lubricating” effect of MnS seems to be more
relevant at lower cutting speeds due to relatively prolonged
contact times with the cutting edge of the tool. Moreover, the
wear mechanism varied for the different PM steels (abrasive
wear for M2, abrasive wear and built-up edge for OB1).
Manganese sulfides seem to be more efficient in avoiding
wear based on built-up edges than reducing abrasive wear.
Still, tool life is prolonged by a factor of three to five.
Regarding machinability, OB1 is more difficult to machine
compared to M2. An increased productivity and machinability
is achieved by free machining aid manganese-sulfide. This
enables the use of higher cutting speeds and results in better
surface integrity.
Future work will focus on surface integrity issues such as
residual stresses and hardness depth profiles. It is expected
that the surface integrity of the machined parts can be
influenced in a positive way by choosing suitable machining
parameters. In combinations with the advantageous machining
parameters identified in the present work, this will pave the
way to manufacture high quality parts in automotive and tool
industry applying the described PM steels. The application of
the comparably inexpensive PM steel OB1 was until now
considered to be less desirable due to poor machinability. As
shown in this work, this may be compensated by the addition
of defined amounts of MnS.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Stefan G. Larsson and
Peter Thuresson at Seco Tools AB for helping with the
preparation of the tool inserts and metal cutting tests,
respectively. Höganäs AB is also acknowledged for supplying
the PM work material employed in this study.
References
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