Hot-work steels are high-strength steels used in molds and tools operating at temperatures of 250°C and above. These materials are expected to maintain their mechanical properties at high temperatures, exhibit high wear resistance, and provide thermal conductivity. Hot-work tool steels are subjected to machining to achieve a better surface finish. Machinability is a general term, but it's used to provide a positive or negative indication of a material's processing performance. Measuring machinability involves determining multiple processing parameters or, where appropriate, a single response parameter. In this study, chip formation was not investigated experimentally; instead, the effects of cutting parameters and tool geometry on Toolox 44 steel were considered. In this work, Toolox 44 steel as the dominantly used hot work steel is machined under various cutting conditions and with tool geometries. Machinability was analyzed based on parameters such as energy consumption, cutting temperatures and cutting forces. Tool geometry was found as the dominant parameter on cutting temperatures however feed rate and cutting speed were the significant parameters on cutting forces and energy consumption. Experimental results indicate that tools with CCMT geometry exhibited lower forces and energy consumption. Furthermore, higher feed rates negatively impacted surface finish, while increasing cutting speed significantly increased cutting temperature. These findings demonstrate that the machinability of Toolox 44 steel can be significantly optimized through cutting parameters.
Alan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.