Bulk metallic glass (BMG) is an amorphous alloy. Thus, it does not have anisotropy and material defect due to its irregular atomic configuration. In addition, it has excellent mechanical properties. For these reasons, the BMG is expected to be substitute materials in various fields. Until now, a number of studies focusing on precise forming have been carried out. However, if the part geometries are complex, controls of the temperature and wettability are difficult. Therefore, single point diamond cutting of the BMG is needed to produce fine surfaces. However, only a few studies on the single point diamond cutting for the BMG have been reported. Thus, appropriate single point diamond cutting technique of the BMG is not established yet.
Therefore, single point diamond turning of Zr-based bulk metallic glass was conducted. In the paper, the influences of the depth of cut, feed rate and cutting atmosphere on the chip generation and finished surfaces are investigated. Visualization of the cutting chip generation with different cutting conditions was made with a high-speed camera. The influences of the cutting conditions on the finished surface are considered based on the observation and the measurement of chip and machined surfaces.