Dry Machining

Dry Machining
1.1 Preface
According to traditional schoolbook information and research metalworking fluids
serve to cool the cutting tool and workpiece (cooling-effect), reduce friction between the
two (lubricating-effect), and remove chips (flushing-effect). Erdel (1998) reports that
manufacturing companies all over the world are currently examining the question whether
metalworking fluids are really needed in manufacturing processes and if so, to what
extent. According to Aronson (1995), the increasingly stricter environmental and health
regulations, along with their enforcement, are eliminating much of the flexibility in the
use of metalworking fluids. Pending Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on metalworking fluids
have made dry machining a hot topic recently. While the need for dry machining may be
apparent, issues including the perceived inability to cut dry and the changeover costs,
result in dry machining being perceived as impractical by most manufacturers. However,
this is not the case, high-speed dry machining is possible in most manufacturing
processes. Integrated correctly, manufacturers can realize improved workpiece accuracy,
reduced manufacturing costs, and other related benefits associated with high-speed dry
machining.

1.2 Why Dry Machining

Heine (1996) states that the use of metalworking fluids in manufacturing
processes is viewed as undesirable for both economic and environmental reasons.
According to Erdel (1998), every year US manufacturers consume millions of gallons of
Dry Machining 4 metalworking fluids. Metalworking fluids have a considerable affect on
manufacturing costs and the environment. Even more important is the fact that OSHA and
the EPA consider metalworking fluids to be detrimental to the environment. These fluids
contaminate the air causing maintenance and employee health problems. Also, at the end
of the fluids useful life it must be disposed of properly. Machining parts with
metalworking fluids puts an enormous burden on manufacturing companies and our
environment. Manufacturing companies need to realize the costs and environmental
issues involved with the use of metalworking fluids and move to more environmentally
and cost conscious manufacturing practices.
Winkler (1998) reports that due to increasingly strict environmental laws aimed at
controlling health hazards and pollution, the costs of metalworking fluid use in

Dry Machining
manufacturing processes is rising substantially. The use of metalworking fluids in
manufacturing processes place an enormous burden on manufacturers to cover the
additional costs associated with their use to protect our health and environment. Some of
these costs include healthcare, facility maintenance, machine maintenance, procurement,
and disposal. The cost associated with the use of metalworking fluids is estimated to be
several billion dollars per year in the US alone. Several research studies (Erdel, 1998;
Heine, 1996) report that the use of metalworking fluids account for approximately 16%
of the total manufacturing costs. Therefore, the elimination of metalworking fluids in
manufacturing processes can be a significant economic incentive. To avoid these costs
and problems, manufacturers are beginning to explore dry machining. Considering the
high cost associated with the use of metalworking fluids and projected escalating costs
when stricter health and environmental laws are enforced, the choice of dry machining
seems obvious.

1.3 Dry Machining

Recent research (Daniel, Olson & Sutherland, 1997) reveals that the trend in
manufacturing is to minimize or eliminate the use of metalworking fluids in
manufacturing processes. Winkler (1998) reports that dry machining has the potential to
reduce environmental pollution, health hazards, and costs associated with the use of
metalworking fluids. However, to pursue dry machining, one has to compensate for the
several beneficial effects of metalworking fluids without using them. Heine (1996) states
that the removal of metalworking fluids in manufacturing processes can cause a variety of
machining problems related to heat, tool life, and chip removal. In dry machining, the
functions of metalworking fluids must be assumed by other alternative methods. The
challenge of heat dissipation without coolant requires a completely different approach to
manufacturing. Special tooling utilizing high-performance coatings, heat-resistant
materials and through-spindle air are required. A variety of new techniques are testimony
that new technology has rationalized further efforts to research and implement dry
machining in manufacturing processes. First attempts at these new techniques have
proven to be viable alternatives.
Approached incorrectly, changing over from wet to dry machining can be costly
and problematic. Optimum implementation requires machine tools designed for dry
machining with all the proper options. By examining the manufacturing processes capable

Dry Machining
of dry machining, it becomes apparent that the key is a balance between advanced metal
cutting strategies, special tooling and the machine tool specifications.

1.4 Methods of achieving Dry machining

1.4.1) Tool Materials
One approach towards achieving dry machining is to improve the properties of the
utting tool material by making them more refractory or take away the heat generated in
dry machining by some other means. High-temperature wear resistance and hardness are
prerequisites for tooling used in dry machining processes (Heine, 1996). There has been a
continuous development of tool materials over this century starting with high-speed
steels, cobalt alloys, tungsten carbides, ceramics, cubic boron nitride and diamond.
However, the need to machine materials dry and at higher cutting speeds is imposing
pressure for the development of new tool materials. A formidable challenge, one that tool
manufacturers are actively pursuing to ensure their future. According to Heine (1996),
todays cutting tool materials like multiple layer coated carbides, ceramics, and cubic
boron nitride (CBN) are capable of combating the intense heat and achieving satisfactory
results without the use of metalworking fluids. Stolz (1996) reports that ultra fine grades
of carbide with multiple layer hard coatings currently offer an economical solution to dry
machining. Schneider (1999) states that research with ceramics and CBN also showed
promising results as a solution to dry machining. Ceramics and CBN stand out for their
hot hardness and resistance to high temperatures, which eliminates the need to reduce
temperatures at the cutting edge with metalworking fluids. According to Schneider
(1999), major opportunities will open up for all cutting materials that resist high
temperatures, but particularly for ceramics and CBN used in dry machining. In the
opinion of Aronson (1995), with the continued development of cutting tool materials, the
traditional roles of metalworking fluid may not be as important as they once were.

1.4.2) Tool Coatings

Another approach towards achieving dry machining is to improve the heat
resistance and hardness properties of coatings used on cutting tools made from ultra fine
grades of carbide (See Fig. 1). According to Winkler (1998), coatings separate the cutting
tool from the workpiece and offer the possibility to replace metalworking fluids in
manufacturing processes. Ten years ago, the only coating available was Titanium Nitride
(TiN). Now there are dozens of multiple layer coating combinations. Recent

Dry Machining
developments in multiple layer coatings on carbide cutting
tools have revived the pursuit of dry machining. The
hardness, lubricity, and thermal-resistance of these highperformance coatings are said to provide the same benefits
of metalworking fluids in a manufacturing process. In the
opinion of Stolz (1996), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN)
has proven to be an effective coating in dry machining.
TiAlN has demonstrated the ability to run faster, longer, and
cooler in dry manufacturing processes. TiAlN possesses the
best price to performance value for high-temperature

Fig 1Special Tool Coatings

operations like dry machining. Laser-Cut 964 is a new

coating that exhibits characteristics of extreme hardness and lubricity that surpass other
coatings available for dry machining. These features offer extended tool life and
productivity increases up to 25%. The one draw back to Laser-Cut 964 is that it carries a
25% to 30% cost increase over the other coatings. Another type of coating required when
dry machining is a soft, non-stick coating. These coatings are placed on top of the harder
multiple coatings mentioned above. Tools must have a lubrication coat on top of the hard
coating to reduce edge build up and help evacuate the chip. Stolz (1996) reports the
development of a new soft coating from Guhring called MOVIC that is playing a major
role in the rationalization of dry machining. Properly applied, coatings offer the same
benefits of metalworking fluids and lead to longer tool life at higher speeds and feedrates.
Tool life comparisons of the three different combinations of coatings can be seen in Table
1. At present, dry machinings effectiveness varies considerably from metal to metal. The
key will be the continued development of coatings, each one optimized for certain
applications.

Dry Machining
Note. This research data was the result of a drilling test done in heat-treated steel with a
.3346 diameter drill and 1.0 depth of cut (395 sfm and .007 in/rev). From Stop Press:
Movic Rationalizes Dry Machining, by R. Stolz, 1996, Modern Cutting Tools
Technology, 16, p. 16. Dry Machining 9

1.4.3) Through Spindle Air

Of course, turning and milling processes are the easiest manufacturing processes
to convert to dry machining. In these processes, the cutting edges are exposed and chips
leave the cutting zone quickly, having little contact with the workpiece and tool.
Therefore, the chips serve as a medium to dissipate heat. On the other hand, chips are not
so easily flushed from a drilling process, allowing heat to build up quickly in the confined
depths of the hole. Special coated carbide tools to improve heat resistance and lubricity
and high pressure through spindle air must be utilized for successful high-speed dry
drilling. The drilling process uses precisely controlled high-pressure, through-spindle air
for chip disposal and to prevent heat buildup in the workpiece or the tool and prevent the
recutting of chips. To achieve the most aggressive metal removal in this process, the
through-spindle air requires a higher level of pressure than is available at most shops.
Boosting shop air pressure as high as 160 to 200 PSI provides superior cooling and chip
disposal. High-speed machining provides a high enough feed rate to reduce the
temperature rise of the workpiece by approximately 50 percent resulting in less thermal
expansion in the workpiece and accurate holes.

1.4.4) High-Speed Machining

While tooling challenges have been the immediate focus of dry machining, it is a
balance between tooling and machining strategies that make it reality. The key to dry
machining is the use of high-speed metal cutting techniques. Research has proven that a
combination of high feedrate and very high spindle RPM reduces, rather than increases,
the thrust force against the workpiece. This technique concentrates intense heat
immediately in front of the tool. This intense heat allows for high-efficiency machining.
The heat plasticizes the workpiece; greatly reducing its yield strength and increasing
metal removal efficiency substantially when compared to conventional machining
processes as shown in Table 2. Typically, this much heat would distort the part, but
because feedrates are so high most of the heat is retained in the chip and removed before

Dry Machining
the heat can soak into the workpiece. This makes the workpiece more thermally stable
and, as a result, more dimensionally accurate.

1.4.4. a) Principle of HSM

HSM is a relative concept in comparison to conventional machining processes. It
does not have a rigorous definition since the actual cutting speed depends on the workpiece, tooling, etc. The most common definition involves the DN product of the spindle
bearing where D is the bearing bore diameter and N is the maximum rated revolutions per
minute (rpm) of the spindle. HSM processes typically possess DN values ranging from 2
million & onwards. Other definitions rely on the natural frequency of the system or ratios
of the spindle HP/ rotational velocity for example conventional machines have high
power at low rpm with values ranging from0.25-0.5 Hp/rpm whereas HSM machines
possess values less than 0.005 Hp/rpm. HSM can be classified according to process as
High speed milling, pocketing, contouring etc, according to machine tools as NC, CNC or
non CNC, and as per machine structure as Multiple axes, virtual axes and Parallel
structure, other classification includes categories as per interpolation & control.

1.4.4 b) Methods of achieving HSM

HSM can be effectively achieved by controlling the factors such as
1. Tool material
2. Machine tools
3. Feed rate & depth Cut
4. (Since it is a specialized topic onlt this much will be covered in this topic

Dry Machining
1.4.5 Special Chip Removal Systems
Due to HSM dry machining operations generate chip quantities ranging from 8005600 cm3/min. This places extreme demands on the coolant and chip removal systems.
Vertical carriages along with large automated conveyors and high pressure coolants of
400-1000 psi facilitate lubrication and chip removal. Fine filters are used in the lines to
remove dust, fine chips, and dirt which should minimize internal wear of the lines and
tool wear. In addition, chip management accounts for horizontal designs this design lets
the chips fall away. High pressure coolant sprays are used along with mist collector
installations to protect the health and safety of the operators.

1.5 Dry cutting Its advantages

Studies from western technical universities show that nearly 10 to 17 per cent of
production costs are connected with lubrication, cutting oils, handling of oils, storage, and
costs associated with environmental issues. Recommendations relating to ISO 14001
discuss about disposal of fluid waste and include hidden responsibilities. Enough has
been written about waterbased cutting fluids in the literature which have oil particles in
suspension in powerful chemicals termed as surfactants which cause skin related defects
when contacted for long. Extreme pressure additives often include chlorine, sulphur and
phosphorous which are very efficient in maintaining the cutting edge sharp but are feared
to be conducive to form carcinogenic compounds. Formulation of safe oils in all respects
is far away as of now. Cases such as mineral oils are under continuous focus as they
contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons which can pose health hazards. There have
been trends to use hydro isomerised oils due to their low aromatic contents and volatility.
This has lead to looking into synthetic coolants such as polyalpha olefins, polyalkaline
glycols and so on. Waterbased metal cutting fluids contain micro organisms leading to
fungi, bacteria and harmful elements, which has made the formulators to recommend use
of bactericides such as S-triazine (alternate double bonded carbon and nitrogen).
On the other hand dry cutting completely, means removing coolants in cutting and one
would immediately think of the possible flank wear, the forces in hobbing, the resultant
surface quality, and heat dissipation needs. Nevertheless technological advances in tool
material, its coating technologies, machine tool design and control have made it possible
to machine a range of gears without coolant. The heat dissipation is removed through
quick chip disposal, which carries away the maximum heat. This is so that after the
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Dry Machining
operation is complete one can feel the part by touching. The challenge of heat dissipation
in absence of coolant required a completely new approach to design, fixturing, chip flow
and so on. Special tooling from Mitsubishi (Refer case study) resulted in new tool
material, which took a few years of research.
Having said much about the potential for dry cutting of components the cost
benefit using carbide have often been inconsistent and this was also a reason for a lull in
the activity for sometime till the initial successes were explained by the pioneers. Perhaps
the best efforts of machine builders, cutting tool manufacturers, coating researchers have
not adequately resulted into the cost influentials, which the ultimate customer would look
into. It is not to say that the work done were depriving totally yet there was a scope for
further study on the economics.
In short to say 1. Dry machining means no coolant hence resulting in cost reduction
2. No potential cost assisted with the coolant filtration system, equipments related to
it

3. The system greatly enhances environmental conditions by cutting down the

pollutants and thus termed as green machining

1.6 Typical Applications

1.6.1 Die Mould Manufacturing-In die mould manufacturing, Dry Machining involves
HSM milling with light depths-of-cut at high feed rates. Milling at lighter depths was
always possible, but a high speed makes it practical. As a result, the machining center can
do more. Through proper machining one can reduce the need for polishing & can even
eliminate EDM in some cases. Particularly when this last case is true, this can let a
machining center produce complex tooling competitively in a single setup.
1.6.2 General Production- Through HSM, special toolings & coatings in batch
production or high volume production, Here the speed in High Speed Machining is the
primary concern. Running fast, High Speed flexible machining centers become an
economical alternative to more dedicated systems for a variety of production parts.such as
gears, crank case, spindles, crankshaft etc

Dry Machining
2 Case study - Effectiveness of Dry hobbing

2.1 Introduction
The developments carried out on CNC hobbers in
areas arising from process technologies and associated
innovation in hob design and its material for appropriate
adaptation have lead to a partial and/or total renunciation of
cutting fluids. The process itself is environmental friendly due
to increased awareness of chemical effects of cutting fluids
besides saving in costs of manufacturing of gears in cutting
indirect expenses. The tool materials used have been sintered
or compounds of carbides with several advanced coatings.
The coatings themselves have been either carbon, titanium

Fig.2 Improved axial guides

nitrides, carbo-nitrides, titanium aluminium nitrides or as developed recently WCC

coatings all of which go to enhance the cutting ability by retarding wear growth
phenomenon. Nevertheless cost of carbides and its performance due to susceptibility on
impact loads to chip have posed a challenge to the users. Although cutting velocities of
carbides are higher than practiced by the industry there is a significant development in the
new HSS tool from Japanese researchers at Mitsubishi. Production performance of MHI
super dry hob of special coating with the entire terminology of the hob being called as
MACH7 has outstanding performance of a tool that is basically a highspeed steel tool.
The cutting strength and quality of hobbing, much above the conventional hob yet a bit
below that of carbide has evinced interest in the gear cutting industry and other
manufacturers are following suit. The details of such developments and the corresponding
dry cut hobbing machines are dealt in this paper.
Hobbers are achieved on account of their ability to
employ high rotary table speeds and the spindle speeds
without suffering from rigidity and working accuracy.
Experience on such machines in the production of automotive
gears is available in the industry and the advantages of
separate

drives/digital

Fig.3 Improved Radial guides

drives have been in use.

Maintenance of constant tooth depth measured in the form of

Dry Machining
span value or diameter over pins to higher statistical values, [cpk] are common. Machine
designs have been adapted to minimise maintenance of mechanical assemblies or finding
areas of solutions to gearing problems in machine settings have reduced greatly. This is
the time when gear hobbers were given LM guides in their radial, axial and counter
column guide ways for improved running characteristics in all degrees of freedom. See
Fig 2 and 3 .
The quality of gears cut in these machines has been consistent and of higher grade
than what was possible on earlier machines using group concepts and gear trains. One can
say that indicating module as a cutting ability function was disregarded in the light of
larger feeds, higher number of hob starts to define hobbing capacity as a whole. These
machines have been useful in performing special processes like carbide hobbing and
skive hobbing as and when required. Basically carbide hobbing of soft gears and skive
hobbing of hardened flanks are different processes nevertheless the machines themselves
were capable.

2.2 Characteristics of carbide hobs

The use of carbide has been widely accepted in the industry for several years. The
stability of carbide at elevated temperatures allowed the manufacturers to take the
advantage of CVD coatings to enhance the cutting ability. The main reason for this use of
carbide lay in the desire to take advantage of high production rates possible. The gear
hobbing industry felt that the cost of tool could be offset by the production. Hence in the
early 90s, the era of using carbide hob in cutting soft gears began. Gaining the
experiences of inserted carbide use over the years has helped transformation to an extent
smoothly. However, a number of problems needed to be overcome to compete with the
best of HSS hob practice.
Firstly, the machine itself had to be redesigned from the conventional ones to be
dynamically stable so as to withstand the cutting forces from carbides. The key factors to
be addressed were the rigidity and minimising the vibrations to control the carbides
inherent tendency to break at critical edges by strengthening the drives and torsion
stiffness. Even hob manufacturers who used early methods of carbide blade fixing on the
steel body and brazing and finish grinding started using adhesives to reduce the tendency
of heat. Now the techniques have been mastered and heat crack has been eliminated.

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Dry Machining
Solid carbide blanks have the advantage of better design in that the difficulty of
contaminating the furnace with different material, adhesive etc is removed. Internal or
external corners are preferably avoided to contain the stresses and to prevent chipping.
Tooling is an area where unlike HSS hob carbide may not be taken for standardisation.
Maintenance in re-sharpening is to be done with diamond dresser and or special
polycrystalline structured material depending on the carbide grade and the angles
involved. Procedure used in grinding HSS and carbide remains more or less same except
the type of wheel, coolant, speeds and grinding feeds. For example plated super abrasive
180 grit, resin bonded Elgin diamond wheels are normal.

2.2.1 A practical example of adapting carbide hob

Assessment of carbide performance can be
done with two parameters. First is the cycle time in
production. A combined double gear 16MnCr5 gear,
one with Mn3, Z-28, root diameter 76.5mm, spur teeth
and second gear Mn3, Z-35, root diameter of
101.2mm, both being external were efficiently cut on
180mm CNC hobber to a target quality of Q7. The
hob used has been a Fette solid carbide hob, at spindle
speed of 990 rpm corresponding to a cutting speed of

Fig.4 HOB

280m/min, axial feed rate of 5mm/workpiece rev, for a total cutting depth of 6.75mm.
The hob dimensions have been 90x160x40 with basic profile to DIN 3972 hob material
being HM FC 60 N4-TiN (see Fig 4 ).
The total cutting time for both the gears in one set up was 0.95min without the use
of cutting oil of any nature. The test results are with the author. Polymer concrete bed and
thermal stability, quick disposal of heat from the chips with the help of compressed air
circulation were the points to note in this demonstration. The main motor power was
pegged at 5.5 KW. Short direct drive to the table, central hob head clamping via a
mechanical system using a large disk spring of approximately 300 mm diameter to exert
sufficient clamping force in hobbing, without vibration have been a few points of interest.
Of course the partial compression to a predetermined value in the disk spring assembly
ensures the magnitude of working force.

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Dry Machining

2.2.2 Limitations of carbide

While it can be said that rigidity,

Fig.5 TRS graph

finish requirement based on the end

service condition of the gear itself, blank
conditions, work holding fixture design
are all important in carbide dry hobbing,
it is also important to note that feed rates
and hob speeds are to be related to the
materials hardness in rock well and the
technology of the hob itself. We find
that a variety of carbide grades are offered that need to be
examined for the toughness in entry and exit of heavy

Fig.6 Compressive
strength Graph

cut due to shock loads and resistance

required. Majority of carbide grinding is with plated
diamond or resin bonded diamond wheels as standard
practice, which had limitations to get modified forms
accurately on the tooth flanks. This is being yet
optimised. The second consideration has been the
maintenance of hobs. One is handling during shop use and re sharpening due to its
susceptibility to chip and damage. It is very expensive for such occurrences. During resharpening, the use of coolant as has to be taken care as chlorine or sulphur can lead to
enhance the leaching of carbide bond slowly. Crack detection need not be checked
through magna-flux method but any other chemical means using special compound such
as Zyglo, which is recommended by carbide hob experts for use. Though several carbides
are there the ones based on tungsten carbide and cobalt bonding is regular. The strength
and hardness while in use depends on composition and the uniformity of cobalt bond film
thickness around carbide particles. Although the increase in certain percentage of cobalt
enhances the transverse rupture strength (TRS) of carbide up to a level, it is at the loss of
certain hardness. The point at which the hardness and the TRS have to be compensating
would mean a satisfactory percentage of cobalt for the tungsten carbide as a whole, to
give consistently good performance. Fig 5 shows the relation between TRS vs. per cent

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Dry Machining
cobalt to show optimum hardness /TRS intersection. Another point to note is that cobalt
affords higher compressive strength at low percentage bonding (see Fig 6).
The reason to mention this is that in some cases, within a specific grade there can
be variation as far as the grain structure or size, to help tailor match to an application.
Finally actual application results can vary differently. A detailed study by manufacturers
like Carboloy, Sandvik, Wendt, Firth Stirling, Adamas or Kennametal all can be guiding
and their recommendations are to be sought for proper grade selection. This is analogous
to the experience with grinding wheels. Therefore if we compare carbide hobs for dry
cutting with other HSS hobs it is about three times costlier. Cost of sharpening is greater
than for HSS hobs. Recoating is always not readily possible and lower performance due
to running with absence of coating at cutting face may have to be expected in reuse.
Nevertheless machining speeds in the order of 300-350 m/min are possible.
. 2.3 Specific features
Optimum high speed hob drive system.

Table drive and work holding system for

stiffness and accuracy.

Optimum hob mounting system to control axial

and radial run outs.

Optimum machine configuration for dynamic

Fig.7 Machine configuration

rigidity and thermal stability.

The above procedures followed by MHI can be explained in the following paragraphs
covering horizontal machine design, hob head, table drive and more recently newly
adapted direct drive configuration on machine like GN-D10A which was shown in IMTS
and JIMTOF 2000, linear guide ways, chip disposal system, savings in power, machine
types that are offered to various industry segments including tractors where large modules
are encountered and a few working examples of components and the cycle time/ tool wear
data for reference to the shop floor engineers.

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Dry Machining
2.3.1) Developments in machine tools
a) Structure -Basic machine structure is designed to be strong
with respect to forces emanating from dry cut hobbing and the
thermal deformations that are induced by the process. As said
earlier the process heat must be taken away from the working
zone, more precisely from the work piece itself rapidly. The
radial slide, the axial slide and the tailstock assembly have been
provided with specially ground guides to dampen the excitations from

Fig.8

the tough cutting conditions practically over the range of harmonics.

The machines themselves have been made of horizontal construction instead of
vertical type, as the latter is prone to gradual thermal stress accumulation. The
temperature differential along the vertical axis, towards the column free ends can lead to
deformations, in the form of involute function caused by the bed deformation. Some
manufacturers have still kept the design as vertical, as the original design was
contemplated to take care of the thermal contingencies yet many
have already redesigned to horizontal construction. Fig 7 shows
the possible deformation of a vertical construction of dry cut
hobber. Fig 8 shows the horizontal construction of the machine
where the free fall of hot chips is directly into the conveyor that
is independent below, can be seen for easy and quick transportation outside the machine.
Fig.9 FEM analysis of BED

The heat source in the hot blue chips is not kept in the
working zone at all. As MHI builds machines for coarse

pitch dry hobbing also it can be seen as to how a GN 20 dry cut hobbing machines bed is,
by the FEM analysis for the rigidity of bed structure in

Fig 9 .

In the meantime MHI demonstrated the successes of higher module dry hobbing
and went ahead with new designs to upgrade smaller
series machines like GN-D 10A, to directly drive the
hob spindle by the motor. The new version is shown in
Fig 10. In the earlier version there used to be a pinion
driving a second stage helical gears to run the main gear on the
spindle although all have been high quality ground gears. Bevel or

Fig.10

spiral bevel gears were not used due to their critical TCA concept and fatigue
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Dry Machining
phenomenon by their complex log load-log life
relationship. Hob spindle and counter support
bearing are built in rigid housings in the hob head.
The hob arbor has tapered ends to suit international
standard to enable mount the hob accurately in the
spindle. High clamping force and driving torque are ensured. Typical arrangement is
shown in Fig . In combination of slant bed configuration to the adjustable tail stock
position and automatic clamping one can use conveniently the minimum quill position for
fixturing, tailor made to specific work piece. The
arrangement is shown in Fig The work spindle
consists of adequately dimensioned rigid housing
with preloaded bearings and highly precise master
wheel mounted positioned at strategic point along
the work head axis. The single reduction pinion gear
has the exact precision in terms of angular transmission accuracy. Besides the mounting
sequences are simple unlike complicated compound gearing in the critical area of table.
The arrangement is shown in Fig . The new smaller version of GN -D 10A has the direct
drive to the table owing to the higher rotational speeds required to be encountered with
advanced tools/hob steels today, to the tune of 650 rpm. This can pave the way for more
rigorous and productive needs, as the corresponding hobs are being made available to
machine dry.
The use of gantry loaders to change parts from the fixture and load fresh blank
and remove the hobbed gear to be downloaded to the end bin or magazine to carry over to
the next operation, simply add to the productivity. The part
change time has been reduced to a second. This is made
possible by the gantry loader in conjunction with the twin
arm indexing system that loads the work piece to the fixture
in the work head/tailstock. For heavier type work pieces the holding
arms are designed differently considering the torque and inertia. (See
13)
b) Chip Removal system- Fig

Fig.13
Improve
axial
guides

fig

shows the

arrangement of how the chip disposal is handled. The

Fig.14 Chip Removal System

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Dry Machining
cross section of the portion in between the bed sections act as separator to the rest of the
structure and allows the chips fall freely down to the conveyor. The sheathing is of
different material than the rest and facilitates the chips fall quickly and smoothly. The
discharge chute and the wide gap are shown. Fig 14 is the open structure for the
evacuation of hot chips. Among the leading machine manufacturers of dry cut hobbers
who have contributed to the technology in cooperation with coating specialists firms for
the hobs, it is MHI who have developed the process for higher module through their
GN25 series machines. It is the HSS hob material or the treatment to the substrate or the
primary protection to the cutting face due to the hot chip flow or creation of successive
coating layers of various compounds with different wear resistance levels that have
dominated the challenges to overcome, which kept many manufacturers busy.
2.3.2 Developments in Cutting Tools
Mitsubishi realised that environmentfriendly process will eventually be mandated
globally by all gear manufacturers though the catch up may take sometime in the
beginning. Besides if one looks very carefully at the machine designs developed in the
early part of 90s they still lacked some improvements which were necessary for hot chip
disposal and the structural rigidity for dry hobbing. More time was needed to blend the
requirements from all points of view to spearhead towards commercial penetration
including alternate tool material lest the demanding gear industry would not show interest.
It took four years for MHI to come out with

The new tooling

Equipment

Process optimisation

High Speed Steel solution that would be ideal as the base material and coatings
could be improved to handle the temperatures and speeds, unlike carbide, which is
expensive, brittle and requires care in sharpening and edge preparation.

a)Hob configuration: The use of shell type hobs was found to give
the best performance due to increased stiffness. The use of large

16
Fig.15 FEM HOB

Dry Machining
tapers on both the ends helped reduce axial run outs with respect to rotation. Tool
diameters and length limits were optimised using FEM and set for maximum rigidity. The
number of allowable flutes, chip clearances, and sharpening were also critically examined
(see Fig 15- FEM analysis).On machines with work piece capacity of 100mm and
module up to 4, a hob length of 140mm and in its neighbourhood is preferred to contain
radial stiffness and special chip relief features to eliminate chip welding. Typical regrinds
up to 28 have been made possible.
Mach7 super dry hob characteristics
include optimum cutting speeds up to 200
m/min while super dry coating operating range
can be as high as 440 m/min. This results in
twice faster cutting than standard HSS TiN
coated hobs.Multiple start hobs are easily
produced on steel body cutters, which is another
reason in favour of HSS. Average tool life has been
Fig.16 Graph Flank Wear

found to be five times longer compared to wet

cutting TiN coated hobs.The relationship between

cuttingdistance expressed as m/no of shift vs. flank wear in hob showing HSS wet, super
dry cutting performance on SCM415 /SCM420/SCr420 are shown in Fig 16. The actual
cutting features will be shown later with component examples and the machine used.
On account of the care taken in the
total

machine

construction,

the

dynamic

rigidity deployed, and the other structural

stiffness thought about and executed, MHI are
able

to

guarantee

the

hobbed

gears

dimensional stability in the form of production

measure of consistency in the span value or OBD value as

Fig.17

function of time. This is shown in Fig .The tests relate to a gear of 1.49mod, number of
teeth 17, Helix angle 20 degree, face width 18mm, on a material of 180 Bhn. The hob
speed is 1,530 rpm Axial feed 2mm/w.p rev Cycle time 10 Quality of the part required
DIN 8

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Dry Machining

2.4 Results2.4.1 Hob edge wear After 15,400 pieces flank wear
was found to be 0.045mm/crater wear was 0.044mm.
The wear has been symmetrical with respect to chip
flow vectors and the position of crater on hob face
supported by even wear along the flanks. Such
phenomenon is also useful in regrinding as the material
removal is even. In terms of residual stresses induced in

Fig.18

the gear tooth flanks and at the tooth root there may not be
any asymmetrical peak to reckon for the purpose of eventual deformation during HT.
2.4.2 Hob wear After 1,400 work pieces the flank wear was found to be only 0.07mm.
The performance on the conditions of cutting has been very good and encouraging.
Another example of a heavy truck gear 6DP 55 teeth, face width 40mm, spur teeth,
OD 227mm dry hobbed on GN25A at a cycle time of 2.5. Test results are there at the
machine try out department at MHI where a final drive ring gear having 77 teeth,
10.45DP, 32mm face width, 28 deg Helix RH, SCR 420h material 180 BHN could be
demonstrated with super dry cut, in one pass climb hobbing to produce within a cycle
time of 56. The gear has to be preshave hobbed.
2.4.3 Details on the types motors employed and the power saving
Compared to normal CNC
hobbers as well as the various
models of MHI hobbers for dry cut
are shown in Fig 19 . Developments
have also been made in respect of
combined machine operations for
mass

production

of

parts.

The

Fig.19

concept of combining operations

were witnessed for quite sometime now, as the user industry appreciates the concept for it
reduces the machine installation costs and saves the space required for several stand

18

Dry Machining
alone machines. One such example is the GT 06 machine, which can be either with a
shaving operation as finishing or rolling operation as finishing. In the latter case it is
called GT 06R. Horizontal dry hobbing, chamfering and finishing operation such as
shaving or rolling can be done in one installation. It is also possible to integrate a turning
CNC four spindle (two loading station extra during machining) chucker to start with the
blank and finish the soft stage gear at the other end.

19

Dry Machining

3 Conclusions
Dry cut hobbing: A solution to Indian needs
While all these developments are explained it is required to have a service facility
to re-coat the hob once it is due for regrinding. At the moment this facility has been in
countries like US, Europe outside Japan on account of the extent of such technology
prevalence. In our set up or situation it may take some time to have the facility here as the
technology is beginning to grow in the wake of costs cuttings, energy savings,
environmental issues and many other factors that have pushed this technology forward.
Till such time it is worthwhile to check the economics of the new technique to ones
circumstances as the global tool technology is getting more concentrated towards higher
cutting conditions. Any situation where the component variety is going to be looked upon
for greater productivity while the costs have to be low in the long run, it is the faster dry
hobbing method that can only survive. With the difference between the cost of dry cut
hobbing machine and that of the equivalent size normal CNC hobber tending to narrow
down due to technology adaptation worldwide and the competitive market, the deciding
factor may be the dry cut tools vs. productivity as a function of quality. The opportunity
for export in the new millennium, the exposure to new technology and the associations
with global manufacturers can all be accelerators. With the changes at the threshold ahead
dry cut hobbing can answer the needs.
At last say, the technology of Dry machining has been embraced and many
companies are aggressive in research and development of such processes. What else we
can put, the future is bright for High Speed Machining.

20

Dry Machining

4 Reference List
1. Aronson, R. B. (1995, January). Why dry machining? Manufacturing
Engineering, 114, 33-36.
2. Daniel, C. M., Olson, W. W., & Sutherland, J. W. (1997). Research advances in
dry and semi-dry machining (Technical Paper No. 970415). Society of
Automotive Engineers.
3. Emuge-Franken. (1997). High performance cutting tools for dry machining in
action [VHS Tape]. (Available from Emuge Corp., 104 Otis St., Northborough,
MA 01532)
4. Erdel, B. P. (1998). The road to precision near dry machining [On-line].
Available: www.abpi.net/T2007/papers/adv/road/road.htm
5. Heine, H. J. (1996). Environmentally conscious manufacturing: Dry machining-A
promising option. (NTIS No. PB96-129093KZO)
6. Kibbe, R. R., Neely, J. E., Meyer, R. O., & White, W. T. (1995). Machine tool
practices. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
7. Schneider, J. (1999, January). Ceramics and CBN. Manufacturing Engineering,
122, 66-73.
8. Stolz, R. (1996, Summer). Stop press: Movic rationalizes dry machining. Modern
Cutting Tools Technology, 16, (22) 11-17.
9. Winkler, J. (1998). Dry drilling [On-line]. Available: www.ifw.unihanover.
de/industrie/ind_main_e.htm
10. Winkler, J. (1998). Ecologically improved manufacturing processes [On-line].
Available: www.ifw.uni-hanover.de/industrie/ind_main_e.htm
11. Dry Machining 14

Walker, J. R. (1997). Machining fundamentals: From basic to

advanced techniques. Illinois: Goodheart-Willcox.

12. High Speed Machining In Aerospace Application

Kevin Luer

13. High Speed Milling Of Aluminum Theory & Analysis

Machining Centers for High Speed Machining

Cincinnati Machinery

Modern Machine Shop

Websites
www.machinicst.com
www.mmsonline.com
www.coromant.sandvik.org

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