The dependency of material properties and process conditions on the cutting temperatures when drilling polymers

Construction parts consisting of modern polymer materials still need to be machined. Thereby special attention has to be paid to the machining quality. The machining quality implies dimensional accuracy as well as a defect-free peripheral zone. Machining defects often occur as a consequence of excessive mechanical loads, which are often caused by unfavorable process conditions. Besides mechanical loads, the thermal influence on the composite material, which is induced by the cutting process itself, has to be considered as crucial. According to the thermo physical material properties of polymer materials the boundary conditions differ from the machining of metals. Especially the drilling of polymer composites is introduced in this article and moreover the influences of the material properties and the process conditions on the process temperatures are presented.