3D Simulation of Laser Assisted Side Milling of Ti6Al4V Alloy using Modified Johnson-Cook Material Model

During machining of hard materials, one approach to reduce tool wear is using a laser beam to preheat the material in front of the cutting zone. In this study, a new concept of laser-assisted milling with spindle and tool integrated laser beam guiding has been tested. The laser beam is located at the cutting edge and moving synchronously with the cutter. In experiment, a reduction in the resulting process cutting forces and tool wear has been observed in comparison to milling without laser. A three-dimensional finite element model in DEFORM 3D was developed to predict the cutting forces in the milling process with and without an additional laser heat source, based on a Johnson-Cook-type material constitutive model adapted for high strains and strain rates. Both in experiment and simulation, the deformation behavior of a Ti-6Al-4V workpiece has been investigated. The comparison of the resulting cutting forces showed very good agreement. Thus the new model has great potential to further optimize laser assisted machining processes.