Sustainable machining through increasing the cutting tool utilization

Several previous articles have discussed different approaches to improving sustainability during machining operations. However, more effective utilization of cutting tools is an approach that has been overlooked in previous investigations. Increasing the effectiveness of cutting tool utilization decreases the need for new tools as well as the resources and energy needed to produce new cutting tools. The aim of this study was to maximize cutting tool utilization during machining operations without adversely affecting product quality, thus decreasing the environmental impact of machining operations. This was achieved by determining to what extent it is possible to increase total tool life by using previously worn tools in a secondary machining operation. For both the milling and turning cases investigated, experimental results showed that it is possible to increase the total tool life by approximately 50%–100% compared to equivalent conventional machining operations. The increase in tool life could decrease the production cycle time by approximately 15% and reduce energy consumption by 12% as compared to conventional machining processes.