Comparative performance of three end mill configurations in trochoidal milling of Ti6Al4V: Bending moment, tool wear, and chip formation

This study experimentally compares three Ø12 mm solid-carbide end mill configurations for trochoidal milling of Ti6Al4V using the same spindle speed, table feed, engagement settings, cooling condition, and total material-removal target. Two customized tools, T1 (five flutes, AlCrN coating) and T2 (six flutes, AlCrN coating), were benchmarked against an industrial reference tool T3 (five flutes, TiN + TiAlN coating). Spindle-integrated bending moments were monitored using a Spike dynamometer, tool wear was quantified by optical microscopy, and chip morphology was evaluated after machining. In the unworn condition, the observed peak bending moments were approximately 125 Nm for T1, 140 Nm for T2, and 115 Nm for T3. The maximum measured edge wear was 0.185 mm for T1, 0.162 mm for T2, and 0.306 mm for T3, indicating the lowest maximum wear for T2 among the tested configurations. T2 also produced visually more uniform chips. Because flute count, edge-hone radius, and coating architecture vary simultaneously among the tools, the results represent the combined performance of complete tool configurations rather than isolated effects of individual design variables. The study provides an industrially oriented comparison of customized and reference end mills for trochoidal Ti6Al4V machining and identifies design factors that should be isolated in future controlled experiments.