Titanium machining with new plasma boronized cutting tools

Titanium is a commonly used material in various critical applications such as aerospace and biomedical applications. In this article, for the first time in the literature, development and implementation of a novel plasma boronizing process on Tungsten Carbide (WC) cutting tools is introduced. Plasma boronizing on WC tools is performed with gas combination of 10% BF3, 40% Argon and 50% H2 at different temperatures and durations. Performance enhancements of plasma boronized WC tools on Titanium (Ti–6Al–4V) machining are investigated under various cutting conditions. It is found that new plasma boronizing of WC is a very cost effective solution for significantly increasing tool life in Titanium machining.