FEM Modelling and Experimental Validation of Machine Tools Made by Additive Manufacturing

The original design of the PCD face milling tool mounting has very high stiffness, heavyweight, and inefficient lubrication channel design. This study aims to redesign a component that is a part of a machine tool using numerical modelling analysis and perform the experimental validation. The final component is manufactured by Additive Manufacturing process. The necessities are to satisfy the functional and topological requirements with mass lightering and lubrication optimisation. The result of the final design is able to decrease the overall mass by 30.19% and keep the maximum average stress below the yield strength of the material. A satisfactory correlation between Finite Element Analysis simulation and strain measurement by using strain gage is found. The redesigned lubrication system can maintain the total pressure and lubricant velocity with relatively similar values in all channels. The shape of the channels is redesigned so that the lubrication system becomes more efficient by directing the lubrication spray in the cutting tool tip points.