Mandrel Manufacturing for a Large OEM10
Product | Titanium Alloy ** Housing |
Critical Requirements | ±0.005mm dimensional tolerance, Ra 0.4μm surface finish |
Issue Observed | Tool breakage and accelerated flank wear during deep cavity milling (depth >50mm) |
Symptoms | # 47% increase in tool replacement frequency |
# Surface roughness degradation to Ra 0.8-1.2μm |
# Thermal deformation causing 0.007-0.012mm dimensional drift |
Root Cause Analysis | Material Factors: |
# Ti-6Al-4V's low thermal conductivity (6.7 W/m·K) caused heat concentration |
# Work hardening tendency during interrupted cutting |
Process Limitations: |
# Conventional flood coolant couldn't reach deep cutting zones |
# Fixed RPM (1800) and feed rate (150 mm/min) induced harmonic vibration |
Implemented Solutions | Tooling Optimization: |
# Adopted variable-pitch solid carbide end mills (5-flute, AlTiN coating) |
# Implemented trochoidal milling path to reduce radial engagement |
Parameter Adjustment: |
# Reduced cutting speed from 120 m/min → 95 m/min |
# Increased feed per tooth from 0.08 mm/z → 0.12 mm/z |
# Introduced pulsed coolant delivery at 8 bar pressure |
Fixture Enhancement: |
# Designed conformal cooling channels in vacuum fixture |
# Added vibration-damping composite pads |
Lessons Learned | # High-frequency spindle analysis (>20kHz sampling rate) effectively detects micro-chatter |
# Titanium alloys require ≤35% radial engagement in deep-pocket machining |
# Hybrid MQL + cryogenic cooling shows promise for next-phase optimization |

Mandrel Manufacturing for a Large OEM9
Mandrel Manufacturing for a Large OEM8