Surface roughness is among the key indicators describing the quality of machined surfaces. Although it is an aggregate of several factors, the condition of the surface is largely determined by the type of tool and the operational parameters of machining. This study sought to examine the effect that particular machining parameters have on the quality of the surface. The investigated operation was the high-speed dry milling of a magnesium alloy with a polycrystalline diamond (PCD) cutting tool dedicated for light metal applications. Magnesium alloys have low density, and thus are commonly used in the aerospace or automotive industries. The state of the Mg surfaces was assessed using the 2D surface roughness parameters, measured on the lateral and the end face of the specimens, and the end-face 3D area roughness parameters. The description of the surfaces was complemented with the surface topography maps and the Abbott−Firestone curves of the specimens. Most 2D roughness parameters were to a limited extent affected by the changes in the cutting speed and the axial depth of cut, therefore, the results from the measurements were subjected to statistical analysis. From the data comparison, it emerged that PCD-tipped tools are resilient to changes in the cutting parameters and produce a high-quality surface finish.
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