Influence of cryogenic treatment of cutting tool inserts on tool wear and surface roughness during milling of Inconel 718

Inconel 718 is a superalloy which is a hard to difficult machining material. It is widely used in industries such as aerospace, defence, energy production, biomechanical and marine. It is used at elevated temperatures and areas where thermal and fatigue stress is high. Due to its superior quality and hard surface, machining of this material becomes a challenge. Cutting tools have failed enormously in milling this material. However, tungsten carbide and ceramics have found some effective features in creating a better machinability. In this paper, microstructure of the inserts have been studied during machining to determine low surface roughness on the material. Cryogenic treatment of the inserts has been carried out to improve tool life and compared with the untreated inserts.