Green Ceramic Machining
CVD coated diamond tools are a perfect match for machining unfired aluminum oxide, tungsten
carbide, silicon carbide, and other green ceramics. The abrasive nature of these materials
severely limits the life of carbide tools, and PCD diamond tools are not available in the small,
multi-flute configurations required for machining fine detail.
Tools with diamond on the surface wear longer and have a lower coefficient of friction. These
characteristics provide substantial benefit to machining operations.
Because diamond tools last 10 to 50 times longer than carbide tools, they:
• Improve dimensional accuracy and consistency of machined parts
• Greatly reduce number of tool changes, increasing productivity
• Increase machine utilization
• Allow for unattended machine operations
• Quickly pay for themselves
When cutting green ceramic, most tool wear is caused by the abrasive nature of the ceramic
particles rather than by the material temperature or cutting speed. This places emphasis on
selecting the most abrasion resistant tool surface such as CVD diamond.
Because small feeds and depths of cut do not lead to increasing the amount of material chipping,
tool wear will advance rapidly with light feed, but stabilize as feed is increased. As the cutting
action moves toward producing larger cracks and particles or removed materials, flank wear of
the cutting tool edge stabilizes. Therefore, in addition to increasing the volume of material
removed, increasing feed can extend tool life.
The depth of cut should not exceed one-third of the tool diameter. Increasing the depth of cut to
one-half the tool diameter will tend to break the material at the exit of the cut. Tool life is
determined by the quality of the cutting edge and the thickness of the diamond layer at the
cutting edge. A tool will go through a break in period that refines the cutting edge, resulting in
an improved surface finish. This will be followed by a prolonged period of consistent
performance and a gradual thinning of the diamond layer. End-of-life occurs when the diamond
wears through, revealing the carbide substrate or when the diamond surface becomes chipped or
fractured.
Endmilling
Tool configuration: use square endmills with a small radius whenever possible. Diamond tools
are more brittle than carbide tools and sharp corners may break upon entry into a cut at high feed
rates. A radius of 0.010” to 0.015” will greatly strengthen the tool, providing extra durability.
For roughing at high feed rates 2-flute endmills should be used to minimize the possibility of tool
breakage from flute packing. For general purpose and finish cutting use 4 flutes. Improved
surface finish and longer life usually result from multiple flutes in finishing operations.
Decatur Diamond, LLC 3531 West US Hwy 224, Decatur, IN 46733
Phone: (888) 547-4156 Fax: (260) 547-4214
Chipping: to avoid chipping, several techniques can be employed. Milling a short distance at
the exit side of the part before starting the cut is very effective in avoiding breakout, just as
chamfering the end of a cylinder is for turning. Lowering feed rates will lessen chipping upon
exit, but directly affects productivity. Tool rotation can be used to lessen exit edge chipping for
flat surfaces by using climb milling rotation rather than conventional milling rotation.
Feed rate: it is important to keep the tool engaged in the cut. If the feed rates drop too low
(<.0001 to .0005” or <.00025 to .013mm) the tool tends to burnish the part, rather than cut. This
can cause rapid tool wear.
When calculating the correct RPM for chip load at a given traverse speed it is important to
consider if the machine is ever reaching the optimum traverse speed. It can take ½” or more to
reach a high traverse speed. If the tool path has a lot of small adjustments, reduce RPM’s as the
tool is never reaching the full traverse speed.
Machining Parameters: starting conditions vary considerably; 200 SFM and 0.002” per flute per
revolution is a conservative start point for ¼” and larger endmills.
Starting parameters for endmilling green ceramic
Endmill dia. Machine speed Cutting speed Feed rate
Operation
in. (mm) rpm sfm (m/min) fpt (mm)
6,000 to 25 to 40
1/64 Finish .0002-.0005 (.005-.013)
10,000 (8 to 12)
1/32 6,000 to 50 to 80
Finish .0005-.001 (.013-.025)
(1.0) 10,000 (15 to 25)
1/16 6,000 to 100 to 160 General .001-.002 (.025-.050)
(2.0) 10,000 (30 to 50) Finish .0005-.001 (.015-.025)
1/8 6,000 to 200 to 325 General .001-.002 (.025-.050)
(3.0) 10,000 (60 to 100) Finish .0005-.001 (.015-.025)
3/16 4,000 to 200 to 500 General .001-.002 (.025-.050)
(5.0) 10,000 (60 to 150) Finish .0005-.001 (.015-.025)
1/4 3,000 to 200 to 650 General .002-.004 (.050-.100)
(6.0) 10,000 (60 to 200) Finish .001-.002 (.025-.050)
5/16 2,500 to 200 to 800 General .002-.004 (.050-.100)
(8.0) 10,000 (60 to 245) Finish .001-.002 (.025-.050)
3/8 2,000 to 200 to 1000 General .003-.005 (.075-.130)
(10.0) 10,000 (60 to 300) Finish .001-.003 (.025-.075)
1/2 1,500 to 200 to 1300 General .003-.005 (.075-.130)
(12.0) 10,000 (60 to 400) Finish .001-.003 (.025-.075)
Drilling
Dust removal: particular care should be used to clear the machining dust from holes during
drilling. Proper removal will allow using higher spindle speed as well as reducing drill wear.
This is best accomplished by “peck” drilling in steps no greater than one-fourth of the drill
diameter.
Machining Parameters: the table below shows starting machining parameters for drilling green
ceramic. As are all applications, these conditions will vary according to the grade of the ceramic
being machined and the set-up and dust removal practices.
Decatur Diamond, LLC 3531 West US Hwy 224, Decatur, IN 46733
Phone: (888) 547-4156 Fax: (260) 547-4214
Starting parameters for drilling green ceramic
Drill diameter Peck size Cutting speed Feed rate
in. (mm) in. (mm) sfm (m/min) ipr (mm/rev)
1/32-3/16 1/128-3/64 .001-.003
(1.0-5.0) (.25-1.25) (.025-.075)
3/16-1/4 3/64-1/16 .002-.004
(5.0-6.0) (1.25-1.5) (.050-.100)
1/4-5/16 1/16-5/64 200 to 1,000 .002-.005
(6.0-8.0) (1.5-2.0) (60 to 300) (.050-.130)
5/16-3/8 5/64-3/32 .002-.006
(8.0-10.0) (2.0-2.5) (.050-.150)
3/8-1/2 3/32-1/8 .002-.008
(10.0-12.0) (2.5-3.0) (.050-.200)
Profiling
Machining Parameters: the table below shows starting machining parameters for Dapra &
Millstar style ball nose, flat bottom, and back draft profiling cutters.
Starting parameters for profiling green ceramic
Cutting dia. Machine speed Cutting speed Feed rate
Operation
in. (mm) rpm sfm (m/min) fpt (mm)
5/16 7,500 to General .005-.008 (.130-.200)
(7.94) 16,000 Finish .001-.004 (.025-.100)
3/8 6,500 to General .005-.008 (.130-.200)
(9.53) 13,500 Finish .001-.004 (.025-.100)
1/2 4,900 to General .009-.015 (.230-.400)
(15.9) 10,000 Finish .002-.008 (.050-.200)
5/8 3,900 to 640 to 1,320 General .009-.015 (.230-.400)
(15.9) 8,000 (195 to 400) Finish .002-.008 (.050-.200)
3/4 3,200 to General .009-.015 (.230-.400)
(19.1) 6,700 Finish .002-.008 (.050-.200)
1 2,400 to General .013-.020 (.330-.500)
(25.4) 5,000 Finish .004-.012 (.100-.300)
1-1/4 2,000 to General .013-.020 (.330-.500)
(31.8) 4,000 Finish .004-.012 (.100-.300)
Turning and milling with inserted cutters
Tool configuration: perishable inserts with 1/64” to 1/32” nose radii are most effectively used
for turning and milling graphite. A positive rake insert with a finish ground flank is preferred.
Surface finish: finish can be improved be selecting the appropriate tool geometry and feed rates.
Larger nose radii will improve finish, but with increased tool pressure. A smaller nose radius
will relieve pressure, but feed must be reduced to achieve comparable surface finish. DOC will
not affect surface finish unless it causes excess tool pressure resulting in vibration, or if it is too
light (under 0.005”) to remove an adequate amount of material.
Breakout: breakout at the end of a pass is always a concern. This can be avoided by having a
chamfer cut on the end of the part to ease exit of the tool or provide stock which can be later cut
Decatur Diamond, LLC 3531 West US Hwy 224, Decatur, IN 46733
Phone: (888) 547-4156 Fax: (260) 547-4214
off. Avoid square-nosed cut-off tools to prevent breaking prior to completion of the cut. A 20-
degree angle is recommended.
Turning
Workpiece configuration: when machining long rods and cylinders, higher speed and depths of
cut can be employed with higher strength graphite materials.
Depth of cut: DOC should always be maximized when possible without incurring distortion of
the part. When distortion is present, feed and DOC must be adjusted. Lower feed rates will
allow holding deeper cuts. Feed rates of 0.005” per revolution for roughing and between 0.001”
to 0.003”: for finishing might be necessary. Deeper cuts always generate higher pressures and
larger fracturing particles, thereby producing rougher surface finishes.
Machining Parameters: the table below shows starting machining parameters for general
purpose and finish turning.
Starting parameters for turning green ceramic
Cutting speed Feed rate
Operation
sfm (m/min) ipr (mm/rev)
General Purpose 100-500 .002-.010
Finish (30 to 150) (.050-.250)
Milling
Workpiece configuration: when milling large surfaces or volumes, higher speeds and depths of
cut can be employed. Use higher strength ceramic materials when there are thin walls involved.
Depth of cut: DOC should always be maximized when possible, to reduce multiple passes.
Lower feed rates will allow holding deeper cuts. Feed rates of 0.004”/tooth/revolution for
roughing and between 0.0005” to 0.002”/tooth/revolution for finishing might be necessary.
Multiple cutters: for multiple-pocket milling cutters it is recommended that axial alignment be
used to align all inserts within +/-0.0002” for best results. This will improve surface finish and
reduce insert wear, as all the inserts will be cutting equally.
Machining Parameters: the table below shows starting machining parameters for general
purpose and finish turning.
Starting parameters for milling green ceramic
Cutting speed Feed rate
Operation
sfm (m/min) ipr (mm/rev)
General Purpose 500-1,000 .002-.006
Finish (150 to 300) (.050-.150)
Decatur Diamond, LLC 3531 West US Hwy 224, Decatur, IN 46733
Phone: (888) 547-4156 Fax: (260) 547-4214