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Purdue University engineer Anirudh Udupa testing the cutting force on metals coated with various materials. Research has shown that coating gummy metals with certain media can locally embrittle the material, reducing cutting forces. Photo Credit: Purdue University/Erin Easterling
Manufacturers know that the hardest materials aren’t necessarily the only difficult ones to machine softer, so-called “gummy” materials pose their own challenges, especially when it comes to chip formation and management. Gummy materials, such as softer aluminum and copper alloys, nickel and some of its alloys, stainless steels, tantalum, and niobium, often form thick, convoluted chips that can damage tools and workpieces, or create a “bird’s nest” that is difficult to manage. However, research has shown that coating these materials with certain media can locally embrittle the metal, improving chip formation and reducing cutting forces, among other benefits.