Presentation of a novel cutting technology for precision machining of hardened, rotationally symmetric parts

In this paper a new cutting technology similar to hard turning is presented to cut rotationally symmetric parts made of hardened materials. This novel technology, which is named rotational turning, is based on a combination of hard turning and circular milling. An analytical model is developed to describe the engagement parameters between tool and workpiece. It is shown by the model, that the virtual tool corner radius in rotational turning, which takes effect during the cutting process, is more than 50 times larger than in state of the art hard turning. Due to this, feed marks, which are common in turning, can be reduced to a level, where they are not measurable anymore. It can be shown in experiments, that the minimum achievable surface roughness is therefore not limited by the feed rate anymore, like in turning processes usual, but by other effects like the waviness of the cutting edge.