The Design, Characterisation and Application of an Accelerated Drill Test for Cutting Tool Development – RMIT University
Mr Jimmy Toton was awarded his Master’s by research degree in December 2014. Jimmy’s thesis was aimed at designing and developing a timely and low cost accelerated drill test which can accurately and repeatedly determine differences in tool life with a high level of confidence. Jimmy’s research work directly supported other DMTC projects within 1.1.1b with the aim to develop and optimise cutting tools for the production of components made from the latest aerospace composites and alloy materials. These DMTC projects required extensive use of the developed test in order to verify and then optimise their design features for maximum tool life and productivity.
The outcomes of Jimmy’s research were the development of a robust and sensitive accelerated drill test through managing machining complexity and lowering and empirically modelling sources of machining variance. For accelerated testing of high speed steel cutting tools, an abrasive wear mode was found to be preferable over thermo-chemical wear types. The model allowed experimental cutting tool designs to be compared reliably over multiple tests.
Jimmy is continuing his studies and research with the DMTC at RMIT University with industrial partner Sutton Tools. Jimmy is now conducting his research that aims at determining the current capability of metallic 3D printing technology to reduce production times and costs, offer novel powder based tool materials with increased wear resistance and utilisation of the near-net-shape fabrication capability in order to design and manufacture cutting tools with enhanced tool life and productivity characteristics compared against the current state-of-the-art in high performance tooling technology.