In recent years surface texturing of the cutting tools has proved to improve tribological characteristics at tool/chip and tool/workpiece interface and help to reduce cutting and feed forces as well as tool wear. Most, if not all, of the studies have focused on subtractively made textures whereby the material is removed from the surface. This study investigates the performance of additively made surface structures whereby hard ceramic particles are dispersed in the form of dome shaped textures on the surface of the cutting tools using solid state millisecond pulsed laser (pulsed laser implantation). Dry cutting tests were performed on ductile cast iron. The results show a greater reduction of process forces with implantation of flank face as compared to rake face. Both cutting and feed forces were reduced by 10% compared to the non-structured tool. In addition, the tool life increased by a factor of 3 whereas the average flank wear reduced by as much as 80% and cutting edge rounding by up to 60%.

In a bandsaw machine, the blade guides provide additional stiffness and help to align the blade near the cutting region. Typically, these are either in the form of blocks made of carbide or ceramics or as sealed bearings. Abrasive particles, generated while cutting hard and brittle materials like natural stones, settle between the contact surfaces of the guides and the blade causing wear and premature failure. The hydrostatic guide system, as presented in this work, is a contactless blade guiding method that uses the force of several pressurized water jets to align the blade to the direction of the cut. For this investigation, cutting tests were performed on a marble block using a galvanic diamond coated bandsaw blade with the upper roller guides replaced by hydrostatic guides. The results show that the hydrostatic guides help to reduce the passive force to a constant near zero in contrast with the traditional guides. This also resulted in reduced surface roughness of the stone plates that were cut, indicating a reduction in laterial vibration of the band. Additionally, it has also been shown that using hydrostatic guides the bandsaw blade can be tilted to counter the bandsaw drift, opening opportunities for further research in active alignment control. This original research work has shown that the hydrostatic guide systems are capable of replacing, and in fact, perform better than state-of-the-art bearing or block guides, particularly for stone-cutting applications.

In this study, the surface parameters wettability, roughness, and adhesive penetration, which are important for wood bonding, were investigated and evaluated utilizing non-destructive methods after different mechanical processing. For this purpose, beech and birch finger joints were prepared with different cutting combinations (three cutters with different sharpness levels and two feed rates) in an industrial process. Effects and interactions on the surface parameters resulting from the different cutting combinations were evaluated using three Full Factorial Designs. The various cutting parameters had a predominantly significant influence on the surface parameters. The effects and identified interactions highlight the complexity of the cutting surface and the importance of wood bonding. In this respect, a new finding is that with sharper cutters, higher contact angles of the adhesives occur. The methods (contact angle measurement, laser scanning microscopy, and brightfield microscopy) used were well suited to make effects visible and quantifiable, which can be of interest for the quality control of the wood processing industry. The results can help to better understand and evaluate the design of wood surfaces via machining and the bonding of hardwoods. Possibly the results can contribute to further standardizing the production of load-bearing hardwood finger joints and making them more efficient.

Bandsaws either use fibre or ceramic block or sealed bearings as blade guides. This works well for cutting metals, wood and plastics. However, highly abrasive particles generated while cutting stones, settle between the contacts of the blade and the guides causing wear and premature failure. Hydrostatic guide system as presented in this work, is a contactless blade guiding method that uses force of several pressurized water jets to keep the blade cutting in a straight line. For this investigation, cutting tests were performed on a marble block using a galvanic diamond coated bandsaw blade with the upper roller guides replaced by hydrostatic guides. The results show that the hydrostatic guides help to reduce the passive force to a constant near zero in contrast to the bearing guides. This also resulted in reduced surface roughness of the stone plates that were cut. Additionally, it has also been shown that using hydrostatic guides the bandsaw blade can be tilted to counter the bandsaw drift. This original research work has shown that the hydrostatic guide systems are capable of replacing and in fact perform better than the state of the art bearing or block guides specially for stone cutting applications.