Tribology-driven strategies for tool wear reduction and surface integrity enhancement in cryogenic CO2-cooled milling of laser metal deposited Ti64 alloy

Additive manufacturing (AM) is chosen for its ability to streamline production processes and design freedom. This reduces material waste, enables rapid prototyping, and facilitates intricate geometries, ultimately offering cost-effective and customizable solutions for manufacturing complex components in diverse industries. Overlapping melting trajectories result in a low-quality surface (Ra=∼13.34 µm) in the laser metal deposition (LMD) of the Ti64 alloy. Therefore, post-processing is often essential for AMed parts for engineering applications. Milling trials were conducted on AMed specimens under four environmental conditions: dry, flood, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), and cryogenic medium. The machinability was evaluated in terms of the cutting temperature, machined surface roughness, tool wear, chip morphology, and microhardness. The flank wear under cryogenic CO2 condition is 52.78–54.29 % lower than dry condition, 33.86–36.24 % lower than flood cutting, and 23.64–26.86 % lower than MQL. The outcomes show that cryogenic cooling augments the tool life and the surface integrity of milling LMD parts. Moreover, the hardness under cryogenic CO2 was higher, indicating dimensional stability and maintenance of shape integrity under applied loads.