High-temperature alloys are widely used in aerospace, energy, and petrochemical fields due to their excellent oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and fracture toughness. Compared with ordinary metals, high-temperature alloys perform better in high-temperature environments. According to the different matrix materials, high-temperature alloys can be divided into three categories: iron-based, cobalt-based, and nickel-based alloys.
Among them, nickel-based high-temperature alloys occupy half of the high-temperature alloy market, and representative alloys include Inconel 718, Waspaloy, and Udimet 720. These alloys are widely used in the manufacture of key components in extreme environments due to their excellent performance.
Case Study: Performance of Ceramic Inserts in Nickel-Based Alloy Processing
Recently, Moresuperhard received an inquiry from a Thai customer requesting suitable ceramic inserts for the milling of Inconel 625 alloy. The customer's workpiece size is 300 x 30000mm, and the machining allowance is 4mm.
Before this, Moresuperhard has successfully provided ceramic inserts for machining similar nickel-based high-temperature alloys (such as Inconel 718, Rene 65 and Udimet 720) to many customers, including models such as RCGX090700, RCGX120700, RCGX191000, RNGN120400, RNGN120700 and RNGN25070.
The main challenges in machining high-temperature alloys
Machining high-temperature alloys usually faces the following main challenges:
1. Poor thermal conductivity: The thermal conductivity of high-temperature alloys is only 1/5 to 1/2 of that of 45 steel. The high temperature generated during the cutting process places extremely high demands on the heat resistance of the tool.
2. Complex process: The machining of high-temperature alloys usually involves multiple heat treatment, forging, and casting steps. The processing process is cumbersome and the production cycle is long.
3. High processing cost: The high hardness and high-temperature resistance of high-temperature alloys require the use of high-performance cutting tools, which increases tool wear and replacement frequency, thereby increasing the overall processing cost.
4. Large material loss: Traditional processing methods are prone to produce a large amount of cutting waste, and the problem of tool built-up edge affects the quality of the processing surface, resulting in increased material loss.
5. High processing difficulty: The hardness and brittleness of high-temperature alloys limit their processing feasibility in complex-shaped parts (such as curves and special-shaped holes), which can easily cause workpiece deformation and affect processing accuracy.
Advantages of ceramic inserts
In the processing of high-temperature alloys, choosing the right tool is crucial.
Moresuperhard's ceramic inserts have the following advantages, making them an ideal choice for meeting the above challenges:
- Improve processing efficiency: achieve higher output and shorten production cycle.
- Excellent toughness and fracture resistance: support higher feed speeds and reduce processing time.
- Diverse sharp edge treatment: adapt to different working conditions and achieve efficient cutting.
- Extend tool life: perform well in continuous cutting and reduce the frequency of tool replacement.
- Support both dry and wet processing methods: maintain stable performance under different processing conditions.
- Suitable for heavy interrupted cutting: meet complex processing needs.
Conclusion
If you encounter any problems or have relevant experience to share during the processing of high-temperature alloys, please feel free to contact us. If you are troubled by finding efficient cutting tools, you might as well learn about Moresuperhard's ceramic insert products to provide the best solution for your processing problems.
