Robust and Easy to Use Quality Control of Roughness on Milled Tool Steel Surfaces Robust and Easy to Use Quality Control of Roughness on Milled Tool Steel Surfaces

This study was an evaluation of measuring strategies using a handheld 2D profiler for quality control of finish milled tool steel with regard to surface roughness. A selection of ball nose end mills in combination with two different tool steels (hardness 39 and 47 HRC) were used to manufacture the surfaces that were to be measured. It was found that using an appropriate measuring strategy it is possible to measure the roughness of these relatively smooth surfaces (0.1<Ra<1μm) with satisfactory accuracy using a handheld profiler. However, it was also found that, in contrast to what is common practice, Ra is not a suitable parameter to use for evaluation. Instead, using Rz or Rp is suggested. To be able to control quality, the machining process (selection of cutting tool, cutting data, workpiece material etc) as well as limits for the evaluated parameters first have to be established.