Green Machining of a Thermoplastic Ceramic‐Ethylene Ethyl Acrylate/Isobutyl Methacrylate Compound

The machinability of a thermoplastic compound that consisted of 52 vol% ceramic particles and 48 vol% thermoplastic binders was investigated. To investigate the machining mechanisms, various blends of a ductile polymer (ethylene ethyl acrylate (EEA)) and a brittle polymer (isobutyl methacrylate (IBMA)) were used as thermoplastic binders. The fraction of IBMA to EEA in the blend was increased from 0 to 50 vol%. As the IBMA content was increased, the thermoplastic compound exhibited a stiffer stress versus strain response under compression because of the brittle nature of the IBMA polymer. The machinability of the thermoplastic compound was remarkably improved with increased IBMA content because of the mitigation of the extensive deformation of the thermoplastic compound.