Chip Formation Behaviour in Ultra-Precision Cutting of Electroless Nickel Plated Mold Substrates

Electroless nickel plating is used in mold manufacturing industries as a surface processing technology for providing hard, ductile, wear resistant and corrosion-resistant surfaces. In this work, we conducted single point diamond turning experiments on electroless nickel plated substrates at machining scales from the nanometric to the micrometer level, and the machining behaviour was investigated through examining the chip morphology and surface texture. Emphatically, the effect of cutting fluid was investigated in detail. The results showed that the chip formation mechanisms in dry cuts and wet cuts are significantly different. Dry cuts cause splitting, adhesion, folding and secondary deformation of the chips, leading to surface defects. The results indicated that an effective supply of cutting fluid to the cutting region is essentially important to achieve high quality surfaces.