Use of micro ultrasonic vibration lapping to enhance the precision of microholes drilled by micro electro-discharge machining

In microhole machining of metal, micro electro-discharge machining (MEDM) is an effective method that can easily create a hole with a diameter under 100 μm. Due to the poor surface quality and shape of MEDM, a machining method that compounds MEDM and micro ultrasonic vibration lapping (MUVL) is proposed here to allow the production of high precision microholes with high aspect ratios. In our investigations, first, a circular or stepped circular microtool was made by the MEDM process, and the tool was used to create a microhole on a small piece of titanium plate in the same machining process. Finally, the abrasive particles driven by the same tool were utilized to grind this hole in the MUVL procedure, and a hole with a diameter about 100 μm can be obtained. Owing to the microtool and workpiece not taking apart from the clamping apparatus during different machining steps, the microhole was processed in the co-axial situation, so the precise shape and perfect surface can be obtained easily. For example, the diameter variation between the entrances and exits of the microholes could reach a value of about 5 μm when the workpiece had a thickness of 500 μm, if the circular microtools was used. Meanwhile, the roundness of the microholes clearly improved, regardless of whether circular or stepped tools were used. However, owing to the perfect grinding effect between the microholes and microtools, the stepped circular tools produced high quality surfaces more easily than the circular tools.     

Application of micro-EDM combined with high-frequency dither grinding to micro-hole machining

This research presents a novel process using micro electro-discharge machining (micro-EDM) combined with high-frequency dither grinding (HFDG) to improve the surface roughness of micro-holes. Micro-EDM is a well-established machining option for manufacturing geometrically complex small parts (diameter under 100 μm) of hard or super-tough materials. However, micro-EDM causes the recast layer formed on the machined surface to become covered with discharge craters and micro-cracks, resulting in poor surface quality. This affects the diameter of the micro-hole machined and undermines seriously the precision of the geometric shape. The proposed method that combines micro-EDM process with HFDG is applied to machining high-nickel alloy. As observed in SEM photographs and surface roughness measurement, HFDG method can reduce surface roughness from 2.12 to 0.85 μm Rmax with micro-cracks eliminated. Our results demonstrated that micro-holes fabricated by micro-EDM at peak current 500 mA followed by HFDG at 40 V can achieve precise shape and good surface quality after 6–8 min of lapping.     

Micro cutting in the micro lathe turning system

As an application of cutting for the manufacture of micro mechanical parts and as a trial of the development of a miniature machining system matching the micro size of the work piece, a micro lathe turning system has been developed. A work material 0.3 mm in diameter is clamped and cut to a minimum of 10 μm in diameter with a rotation speed up to 15,000 rpm. The whole size of the equipment is about 200 mm which can be set under an optical microscope. A micro diamond single point tool has been applied to the cutting of various shapes, and the usefulness of such a micro cutting tool for the various forms has been confirmed. Cutting force has been investigated using a three directional force sensor and the possibility of the reduction of resistant force to improve working accuracy and to apply to micro parts has been examined.     

Straightening of micro wires using the direct wire heating and pulling method

In this study, we have developed a novel micro wire straightener using the direct wire heating and pulling (DWHP) method. The straightener can remove the bend of the micro wire (< 200 μm) by heating it with the direct current, which flows through the wire in the glass chamber and simultaneously giving it the appropriate tension. A tension meter was attached to control the tension of the micro wire (tungsten). In order to avoid surface oxidization of the wire, we supplied inert gas (argon) into the glass chamber during the heating process, and examined the effect of the gas flow rate. The effects of the tension and the current applied to the micro wires (tungsten) were investigated experimentally. With Results from various experiments and parametric studies, we could obtain desired straightness (≈1 μm/1000 μm) with a tension of 500–600 gf and an approximate electric current of 1.5 A.     

Study on vibration-EDM and mass punching of micro-holes

In this research vibration-EDM is realized by the vibrating worktable designed, which is employed in the micro-punching machine we had already developed. It is found that larger feed and better surface finish can be achieved in micro-EDM with vibration machining. Circular and noncircular micro-electrodes of diameter below 200 μm were fabricated with vibration-EDM and the setup of u-axis. Experiments to punch micro-holes of diameter 200 μm on SUS304 stainless steel and brass strips were carried out. Mass punching of micro-holes on brass strip was performed successfully, using the automatic feeding system developed. The capability of micro-punching and effects of parameters on the quality of punched micro-hole are studied.     

Modelling and analysis of micro scale milling considering size effect, micro cutter edge radius and minimum chip thickness

This paper presents mechanisms studies of micro scale milling operation focusing on its characteristics, size effect, micro cutter edge radius and minimum chip thickness. Firstly, a modified Johnson–Cook constitutive equation is formulated to model the material strengthening behaviours at micron level using strain gradient plasticity. A finite element model for micro scale orthogonal machining process is developed considering the material strengthening behaviours, micro cutter edge radius and fracture behaviour of the work material. Then, an analytical micro scale milling force model is developed based on the FE simulations using the cutting principles and the slip-line theory. Extensive experiments of OFHC copper micro scale milling using 0.1 mm diameter micro tool were performed with miniaturized machine tool, and good agreements were achieved between the predicted and the experimental results. Finally, chip formation and size effect of micro scale milling are investigated using the proposed model, and the effects of material strengthening behaviours and minimum chip thickness are discussed as well. Some research findings can be drawn: (1) from the chip formation studies, minimum chip thickness is proposed to be 0.25 times of cutter edge radius for OFHC copper when rake angle is 10° and the cutting edge radius is 2 μm; (2) material strengthening behaviours are found to be the main cause of the size effect of micro scale machining, and the proposed constitutive equation can be used to explain it accurately. (3) That the specific shear energy increases greatly when the uncut chip thickness is smaller than minimum chip thickness is due to the ploughing phenomenon and the accumulation of the actual chip thickness.     

Debris and consequences in micro electric discharge machining of micro-holes

The tip shape of a blind micro-hole produced using micro electrical discharge machining varies with respect to the process parameters used during machining. The usual tip shape is a blunt geometry within the common range of applications, however, under specific machining conditions and machining depths, the tip shape changes drastically to an inverted concaved shape. The origin of such tip deformation in micro electric discharge machining of blind micro-holes was investigated. It was observed that debris particles produced during machining accumulated at the tip, formed a hill and functioned as a tool electrode especially when using fine machining conditions. The phenomena is elaborated experimentally with the affecting parameters to describe the wear mechanism. Open gap voltage, pulse energy and tool rotation speed are examined as varying parameters during the experiments.     

Pin-plate micro assembly by integrating micro-EDM and Nd-YAG laser

This paper presents a novel technology that applies the principle of Molten-Separation Joint (MSJ) from the micro-part back to perform precise micro assembly. This has been realized by using a hybrid process that integrates micro-EDM and Nd-YAG laser welding on a single machine to fabricate micro parts and complete precise micro assembly. To demonstrate this novel technology, we used this hybrid process to assemble a product, which is referred as a pin-plate. It consists of a micro pin with down to 50 μm in diameter jointed to a thin plate with 200 μm thick, and is made of SUS304.A tensile mechanism has been designed to measure the strength of the pin-plate after micro assembly. The results on SUS304 show that the joint strength is higher than that of the substrate for a micro pin with 200 μm in diameter. In addition, the pin-plate perpendicularity can be measured with a micro probe and a short sense discharge circuit specially installed in the micro-EDM. The detected results were quite satisfactory. This was further assured by observing the assembled joint cross section through a microscope.     

Fabrication of deep micro-holes in reaction-bonded SiC by ultrasonic cavitation assisted micro-EDM

Ultrasonic vibration was applied to dielectric fluid by a probe-type vibrator to assist micro electrical discharge machining of deep micro-holes in ceramic materials. Changes of machined hole depth, hole geometry, surface topography, machining stability and tool material deposition under various machining conditions were investigated. Results show that ultrasonic vibration not only induces stirring effect, but also causes cloud cavitation effect which is helpful for removing debris and preventing tool material deposition on machined surface. The machining characteristics are strongly affected by the vibration amplitude, and the best machining performance is obtained when carbon nanofibers are added into the vibrated dielectric fluid. As test pieces, micro-holes having 10 μm level diameters and high aspect ratios (>20) were successfully fabricated on reaction-bonded silicon carbide in a few minutes. The hybrid EDM process combining ultrasonic cavitation and carbon nanofiber addition is demonstrated to be useful for fabricating microstructures on hard brittle ceramic materials.     

A study on the effect of tool nose radius in ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting of tungsten carbide

Nowadays, ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting (UEVC) technique is being successfully applied for ultraprecision machining of difficult-to-cut materials. Previous study reported that the tool geometry especially tool nose radius notably influences the performance of 1D ultrasonic vibration cutting (UVC). However, the effect of tool nose radius in the UEVC technique is yet to be studied. This study aims to investigate the effects of tool nose radius on the UEVC performance in terms of cutting force, tool wear and surface finish when machining a hard-to-cut material, sintered tungsten carbide (WC), using PCD tools. The experimental results show that the UEVC technique performs remarkably better in all aspects at a 0.6 mm nose radius compared to a lower (e.g. 0.2 or 0.4 mm) and a higher nose radius (e.g. 0.8 mm). When machining about 412 mm² surface area, an average surface roughness, R_a of 0.010 μm is achieved with a 0.6 mm nose radius. Analyses are conducted to justify the findings in this study.     

Modeling of minimum uncut chip thickness in micro machining of aluminum

Micro mechanical machining operations can fabricate miniaturized components from a wide range of engineering materials; however, there are several challenges during the operations that can cause dimensional inaccuracies and low productivity. In order to select optimal machining parameters, the material removal behavior during micro machining operations needs to be understood and implemented in models. The presence of the tool edge radius in micro machining, which is comparable in size to the uncut chip thickness, introduces a minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT) under which the material is not removed but ploughed, resulting in increased machining forces that affect the surface integrity of the workpiece. This paper investigates the MUCT of rounded-edge tools. Analytical models based on identifying the stagnant point of the workpiece material during the machining have been proposed. Based on the models, the MUCT is found to be functions of the edge radius and friction coefficient, which is dependent on the tool geometry and properties of the workpiece material. The necessary parameters for the model are obtained experimentally from orthogonal cutting tests using a rounded-edge tool. The minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT) is then verified with experimental tests using an aluminum workpiece.     

Machining of micro rotational parts by wire electrical discharge grinding

Micro rotational parts are used in several industrial sectors. Well-known applications are micro shafts of gears, ejector pins in forming tools, pin electrodes for micro electrical discharge drilling or micro stamping dies. Depending on the geometrical complexity of micro rotational parts different process variants of micro electrical discharge machining characterized by a rotating work piece can be used: wire electrical discharge grinding (WEDG) with fine wire electrodes, electrical discharge turning (EDT) with micro structured tool electrode, cylindrical electrical discharge grinding (CEDG) with micro profiled disk electrode. Characteristic to these process variants is the superimposed relative motion between the rotating electrodes and the feed. This relative motion can be varied in a wide circumferential velocity range to improve the material removal process. The paper gives an overview of kinematic and technological restrictions and requirements of the WEDG process influencing the process behavior with respect to the technological requirements of micromachining.     

Micropatterning of Ni-based metallic glass by pulsed wire electrochemical micro machining

The technique of wire electrochemical micro machining (WECMM) is proposed firstly for the micropatterning of Ni-based metallic glass in this paper. Metallic glass (MG) exhibits many outstanding properties such as high hardness and strength, which enable it to be used as functional and structural materials in micro electromechanical systems (MEMS). A significant limitation to the application of MGs is the challenge of shaping them on micro scale. WECMM is a non-traditional machining technique to fabricate microstructures that has some unique advantages over other methods, which will be a promising technique for micro shaping of metallic glass structures. Taking the example of a Ni-based glassy alloy, Ni₇₂Cr₁₉Si₇B₂, the polarization and fabrication characteristic in dilute hydrochloric acid electrolyte were investigated. Changes in the machined slit width in terms of several experimental parameters were investigated to find the optimal ones. Finally, the optimal machining parameters: HCl electrolyte concentration of 0.1 M, applied voltage of 4.5 V, pulse duration of 80 ns, pulse period of 3 μs and feed rate of 0.3 μm s⁻¹ were employed for the fabrication of microstructures. Such as a micro square helix with a slit width of 14.0 μm, standard deviation of 0.2 μm and total length up to 2000 μm, along with a micro pentagram structure with side length of 90 μm and sharp corner of 36°, were machined with a high level of stability and accuracy.     

A new through-feed centerless grinding technique using a surface grinder

This paper proposes an alternative centerless grinding technique, i.e., through-feed centerless grinding using a surface grinder. In the new method, a compact centerless grinding unit, composed of a guide plate, an ultrasonic shoe, a blade, and their respective holders, is installed onto the worktable of a surface grinder, and the through-feed centerless grinding operation is performed as the workpiece located on the guide plate is fed into the space between the grinding wheel and ultrasonic shoe. The ultrasonic shoe, produced by bonding a piezoelectric ceramic device onto a metal elastic body, is tilted at a small angle so as to provide sufficient force to control the workpiece rotational motion and to feed the workpiece along its axis by the ultrasonic elliptic-vibration. In this paper, the workpiece motion control tests were carried out firstly to make sure that the workpiece rotational speed and through-feed rate can be exactly controlled by the ultrasonic shoe which is essential for performing high-precision grinding operations. Then, the effects of major process parameters such as the workpiece eccentric angle, the stock removal, the ultrasonic shoe tilt angle and the applied voltage amplitude on the machining accuracy (i.e. workpiece cylindricity and workpiece roundness) were clarified experimentally. The obtained results indicate that: (1) the workpiece rotational speed can be adjusted by changing the applied voltage amplitude, whereas its through-feed rate can be adjusted by changing both the applied voltage amplitude and the ultrasonic shoe tilt angle; (2) the optimum eccentric angle is 6°, and a larger stock removal, a smaller tilt angle, or a higher applied voltage is better for higher machining accuracy; (3) the workpiece cylindricity and roundness were improved from the initial value of 16.63 μm and 14.86 μm to the final ones of 1.49 μm and 0.74 μm under the optimal grinding conditions.     

Advances in micro ultrasonic assisted lapping of microstructures in hard–brittle materials: a brief review and outlook

Micro ultrasonic assisted lapping was first proposed as an effective micromachining technique for hard–brittle materials by Masuzawa's group. Through applying innovative machine tool design concepts, holes as small as 5 μm in diameter and aspect ratios larger than five were machined in quartz glass and silicon. Further applications of the micro ultrasonic assisted lapping to generating microstructures in hard–brittle materials were extended by Brinksmeier's group, and path-controlled micro ultrasonic assisted lapping was implemented in LFM, University of Bremen. These excellent results have demonstrated a promising potential for practical, but the knowledge of micro ultrasonic assisted lapping is far from sufficient to provide a complete understanding and instructive rules for industrial users. The paper briefly reviews some new advances in micro ultrasonic assisted lapping, and then introduces some necessary research topics involved in the process in order to put it into practical microfabrication.     

微细超声加工机床运动控制系统设计

微细超声加工机床设计包括硬件设计与运动控制系统设计,运动控制系统是机床的核心组成部分,直接或者间接地影响到加工质量与加工效率。采用宏微复合的硬件设计结构能有效地保证运动控制精度,针对精密微三维运动平台,基于LabVIEW开发了微细超声加工中的运动控制系统,该系统包括初始化模块、粗对刀模块、精确对刀模块、绝对坐标实时显示模块、数据采集模块与加工模块。将微细工具所受的实时力与微三维运动平台的运动结合形成闭环控制,能有效地实现精确对刀以及恒压力进给加工。最后,对控制系统进行了测试,研究了恒力控制范围与增量位移、进给速度、回退速度之间的关系。     

Servo scanning 3D micro-EDM based on macro/micro-dual-feed spindle

Using the end discharge of micro-rod-shaped electrode to scan layer by layer, micro-electrical discharge machining (EDM) can fabricate complex 3D micro-structures. During the machining process, the discharge state is broken frequently due to the wear of the tool electrode and the relative scanning motion. To keep a favorable discharge gap, the feed spindle of the tool electrode needs the characteristics of high-frequency response and high resolution. In this study, an experimental system with a macro/micro-dual-feed spindle was designed to improve the machining performance of servo scanning 3D micro-EDM (3D SSMEDM), which integrates an ultrasonic linear motor as the macro-drive and a piezoelectric (PZT) actuator as micro-feeding mechanism. Based on LabVIEW and Visual C++ software platform, a real-time control system was developed to control coordinately the dual-feed spindle to drive the tool electrode. The micro-feed motor controls the tool electrode to keep the favorable discharge gap, and the macro-drive motor realizes long working range by a macro/micro-feed conversion. The emphasis is paid on the process control of the 3D SSMEDM based on macro/micro-dual-feed spindle for higher machining accuracy and efficiency. A number of experiments were carried out to study the machining performance. According to the numerical control (NC) code, several typical 3D micro-structures have been machined on the P-doped silicon chips. Our study results show that the machining process is stable and the regular discharge ratio is higher. Based on our fundamental machining experiments, some better-machined effects have been gained as follows. By machining a micro-rectangle cavity (960 μm×660 μm), the machined depth error can be controlled within 2%, the XY dimensional error is within 1%, the surface roughness R_a reaches 0.37 μm, and the material removal rate is about 1.58×10⁴ μm³/s by using a tool electrode of Φ=100 μm in diameter. By machining multi-micro-triangle cavities (side length 700 μm), it is known that the machining repeatability error is <0.7%.     

A study of EDM and ECM/ECM-lapping complex machining technology

EDM (electrodischarge machining) and ECM (electrochemical machining)/ECM-lapping complex machining is investigated in this paper. First, EDM shaping and ECM finishing technology are investigated. These processes are carried out in sequence on the same machine tool with the same electrode (copper) and the same machining liquid (water). Two types of EDM and ECM complex machining are investigated. One is with a formed electrode, and the other is with simple-shape electrode scanning. The complex machining with electrode scanning is applied to produce small and various-shaped components without making a formed electrode. The EDM surface of 1 μm Ra is improved to 0.2 μm Ra by applying ECM. Second, in order to get a smoother surface, a new EDM and ECM-lapping complex machining technology is developed. The surface roughness of a machined hole is improved to 0.07 μm Ra by applying 2 min of ECM lapping. The surface finishing of a hole shape is demonstrated with the complex machining technology.     

A new in-feed centerless grinding technique using a surface grinder

This paper deals with the development of an alternative centerless grinding technique, i.e., in-feed centerless grinding based on a surface grinder. In this new method, a compact centerless grinding unit, composed of an ultrasonic elliptic-vibration shoe, a blade and their respective holders, is installed onto the worktable of a surface grinder, and the in-feed centerless grinding operation is performed as a rotating grinding wheel is fed in downward to the cylindrical workpiece held on the shoe and the blade. During grinding, the rotational speed of the workpiece is controlled by the ultrasonic elliptic-vibration of the shoe that is produced by bonding a piezoelectric ceramic device (PZT) on a metal elastic body (stainless steel, SUS304). A simulation method is proposed for clarifying the workpiece rounding process and predicting the workpiece roundness in this new centerless grinding, and the effects of process parameters such as the eccentric angle, the wheel feed rate, the stock removal and the workpiece rotational speed on the workpiece roundness were investigated by simulation followed by experimental confirmation. The obtained results indicate that: (1) the optimum eccentric angle is around 6°; (2) higher machining accuracy can be obtained under a lower grinding wheel feed rate, larger stock removal and faster workpiece rotational speed; (3) the workpiece roundness was improved from an initial value of 19.90 μm to a final one of 0.90 μm after grinding under the optimal grinding conditions.     

Study on ultrasonic-assisted lapping of gears

Ultrasonic-assisted lapping of gears is firstly proposed and compared with conventional lapping in material removal process and mechanism. The material removal mechanisms of the ultrasonic lapping include hammering, impacting and acoustic cavitation. The experiments showed that the material removal rate of ultrasonic lapping is nearly three times that of the conventional lapping in the same condition, and the ultrasonic lapping can produce a better tooth surface quality (Ra=0.2 μm and the section height c=1.2 μm) than the conventional lapping (Ra=0.33 μm and c=3.2 μm). Then a set of parametric experiments for the ultrasonic lapping was conducted with the Taguchi experimental design. The results of this set of experiments reveal that the optimum conditions for a high removal rate in the ultrasonic lapping experiments of spiral-bevel gears are of brake torque, 0.12 Nm; pinion rotational speed, 600 rpm; and slurry concentration with 20%. The contributions by percentage of torque, speed and concentration to the removal rate are 8.13, 19.26 and 68.11, respectively.