Abstract
Roughing of tool steel in its hardened state represents a real challenge in the die and meld industry and process improvement depends on research of tool material, coating technique, and lubrication. However, roughing of hardened steels generates extreme heat and without coolant flooding, tool material cannot withstand the high temperature without choosing the right tools with proper coating. This research conducted milling tests using coated ball end mills to study effects of cutting conditions and geometric parameters of ball end mills on the machinability of hardened tool steel. KP4 steel and STD 11 heat treated steels were used in the dry cutting as the workpiece and TiAIN coated ball end mills with side relief angle of 12$^{\circ}$ was utilized in the cutting tests. Cutting forces, tool wear, and surface roughness were measured in the cutting tests. Results from the experiments showed that 85 m/min of cutting speed and 0.32 mm/rev of feed rate were optimum conditions for better surface finish during rough cutting and 0.26mm/rev with the same cutting speed are optimum conditions in the finish cutting.