Force modelling in micromilling of channels

The interest on micro cutting processes is proved by the attention of industries on this topic. This trend moves the researches on micro cutting toward different aspects. A modelling procedure for forecasting cutting forces in microcutting, considering all phenomena involved in micro scale, can be of interest for industries allowing the evaluation of process quality. This paper deals with modelling of cutting forces in micromilling operations of channels. The proposed procedure is a combination of a force model based on specific cutting pressure and instantaneous chip section, estimated considering the tool run-out contribution, an optimisation strategy (particles swarm optimisation), and data coming from experimental tests realised on a sample of titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V). The comparisons between experimental and analytical data, and the evaluation of the uncertainty of the calibrated model show the good ability of the proposed procedure for defining analytical model for force prediction in channels micromilling.