The importance of diamond coated tools for agile manufacturing and dry machining

This paper discusses the global movement towards an agile and green manufacturing environment and its impact on metal cutting in the automotive industry. Two major visible changes have been identified: (1) a large portion of the conventional transfer lines will be replaced with high speed high performance CNC machining centers; and (2) no or minimal use of machining fluids will be the goal of a ''dry'' machining system. In order to meet these new challenges and to remain competitive and profitable, the viability of CVD diamond coated tooling is considered to be a key success factor. The second part of the presentation will describe recent test results and current capabilities/limitations with CVD diamond coated tools on machining aluminum-silicon alloys. Important areas for further research and development of CVD diamond coated tools are summarized.