Laser assisted machining has been considered as an alternative method of machining very hard materials such as high Chromium white cast iron. High Chro mium white cast iron is used in mining equipment because of its high hardness (650HB) and wear resistance which also makes it difficult to cut. Traditionally this material is cut at high speeds with a CBN tool. However the associated high tooling and labour costs do not make this cost effective. If successful, implementing laser assisted machining will increase tool life, reduce tool costs, shorten machining time and reduce the overall machining costs.
This paper contains the latest results from research conducted at Swinburne University of Technology. It looks at tool wear and cutting forces obtained during both traditional hard machining and laser assisted machining. All experiments were conducted using an Nd:YAG laser. The research aims to use las er assisted machining as a method of reducing machining costs, as well as increasing the quality of such hard to wear materials.