Modeling and Analysis of the Thread Milling Operation in the Combined Drilling/Thread Milling Process

This paper investigates a thread making process called thrilling, which performs both drilling and thread milling with one tool. A chip thickness and mechanistic cutting force model has been developed for a thread milling operation with a thrilling tool. The model considers the complex geometry of a thrilling tool and the unique tool paths associated with the thread milling operation. Calibration experiments have been conducted to estimate the cutting coefficients associated with specific cutting energies. Experiments have been conducted to validate the developed model. Comparison of the average torque and forces between experiment and simulation results shows that the model predicts the experimental results within 12% error. The model has also been used to analyze the effects of helix angle and number of engaged threads on the cutting forces.