IntroductionThis study investigates the influence of cutting conditions on the quality of the machined surface during thermal friction milling with pulsed cooling of HARDOX 450 steel.MethodsExperiments were conducted by varying the friction-cutter rotational speed, feed rate, and cutting depth. Surface roughness and hardness were measured after machining. A simplified ANSYS Workbench model consisting of a HARDOX 450 workpiece and a plate representing the cutting edge was used to estimate contact temperatures at nine characteristic points.ResultsThe process provided a surface roughness of Ra = 1.0−7.5 μm. The hardness of the machined surface did not decrease below the characteristic range of HARDOX 450 and could be controlled through the cutting conditions. The rational conditions were n = 2800 rpm, S = 60 mm/min, and t = 2 mm. Numerical results showed a nonuniform temperature field and local heat accumulation near the final part of the contact trajectory.DiscussionThermal friction milling with pulsed cooling can provide controlled surface quality while preserving surface hardness. The numerical temperature values should be regarded as computational estimates; further experimental temperature validation and microstructural analysis are required.