Evaluation of Ground Surface Quality of 316L Stainless Steel Produced by Additive Manufacturing
摘要
Additive manufacturing can allow production of many components that includes complex geometries. However, achieving surface quality comparable to those obtained through turning and milling, for example, still becomes challenging. These challenges can prevent the immediate use of components manufactured through additive manufacturing in operational applications. Therefore, post-processing techniques to enhance surface quality are necessary. In general, a machining operation is required as the first step after producing an additively manufactured part and, depending on the project requirements, the use of grinding processes may be an alternative to post-processing of parts produced by additive manufacturing. Grinding can provide a combination of narrow dimensional tolerances with low surface roughness values (Ra ≤ 1.6 μm) as well as allowing the machining of medium to high hardness materials that are limited by machining processes using defined tool geometry. In this context, this work aims to evaluate the roughness of a 316L stainless steel grade manufactured by additively manufacturing using the arc deposition process (WAAM) after grinding with a white aluminum oxide grinding wheel (AA46K6V), which is typically used for grinding steels produced by conventional processes. The cutting conditions employed were radial depth of cut (ae) values of 5 μm and 35 μm and workspeed (vw) values of 2.7 m/min and 7.5 m/min, respectively. Ra and Rz roughness parameters were used as output variables. The results showed that the combination between the highest radial depth of cut with the lowest workspeed resulted in a 113% increase in roughness compared to the value at ae = 5 µm. Furthermore, by observing SEM micrograph images, it was observed that the surface finish deteriorated after grinding with the highest radial depth of cut (ae = 35 µm), thereby resulting in less uniform grooves compared to the workpieces ground with the smallest radial depth of cut (ae = 5 µm).