Parts made by powder metallurgy generally do not require subsequent machining operations.
However, further machining of these sintered parts cannot be avoided in case of special,
complex geometries. The goal of the research discussed in this paper is to create
an easy-to-use, time-efficient and cost-efficient method to describe the secondary
machining properties of iron-based, copper-containing and carbon-containing powder
metallurgy steels (PMSs) in terms of the energy indicators. In order to compare the
machinability of PMSs with different compositions, a new test method was developed.
Considering the high importance of the turning process in the manufacturing of PMS
parts, a short axial grooving test was developed. Cutting force measurements were
carried out where the characteristics of the measured signal referred to the machinability
of the tested materials. This newly developed test can be carried out quickly, and
it can successfully be applied to characterize the energetics of PMS machining. Based
on the test results, appropriate alloying element percentages could be determined.
