Micro-milling of Selective Laser Melted Stainless Steel

This paper deals with micro mechanical machining process of 17-4 PH stainless steel samples fabricated by selective laser melting. An analysis of the material removal behaviour during micro-milling operations for the selection of the optimal feed rate value was performed on 17-4 PH additive manufactured samples studying the variation of the specific cutting force as a function of the feed per tooth. The transition from shearing to ploughing regime was analysed by considering the variation of the specific cutting forces. The minimum uncut chip thickness was calculated to identify the transition between the cutting regimes (shearing, ploughing or their combination) that affects the final product quality in terms of surface integrity and dimensional accuracy. Moreover, the surface roughness and the burr extension were analysed as a function of the feed rate.