Fabrication of a micro-pin array with high density and high hardness by combining mechanical peck-drilling and reverse-EDM

To fabricate circular cross-section micro-pin array with high hardness and high density in a fast and efficient way, a combined method of mechanical peck-drilling and reverse electrical discharge machining (reverse-EDM) is proposed in this research. First, a ball-cone-hole-magnet (BCHM) method is applied in high vibration cantilevered platform (HVCP) and quick release holder/jig to produce highly precise, fast and elastic positioning. Second, a micro-hole array with high density and different types of holes on a workpiece (brass material) is produced by a vibration-assisted mechanical peck-drilling (VAMPD), which includes the high vibration of workpiece created by HVCP and mechanical peck-drilling of micro-drill. This VAMPD can drill up to 1600 single-stage or multi-stage micro-holes, and the aspect ratio of the drilled one-stage micro-holes of Ø60 μm is up to ten. Finally, reverse-EDM is used to fabricate the micro-pin array made of tungsten carbide. In this process, the effects of the chip removal mechanism, the various micro-hole types, and the density of the micro-holes on the electrodes are investigated. The results indicate that the combination of multi-stage micro-hole electrodes and three chip removal methods (working fluid spraying, vibration-assisted electrode and shake-down type workpiece) can produce a 1600-micro-pin array with an average diameter below Ø30.00 μm, a length of 625.0 μm, and a pitch of 100 μm. Consequently, the proposed method of combining mechanical peck-drilling and reverse-EDM can fabricate a micro-pin array with high hardness, high density, high quantity, and uniform diameter in a fast and efficient way.     

Development of a micro-forming system for micro-punching process of micro-hole arrays in brass foil

Micro-forming technology poses much higher demands on positioning accuracy, velocity and mass production, and the common forming machines cannot satisfy these requirements using traditional drive methods. Micro-forming equipment using novel drive methods with high speed and high precision has become an important research field for industrial application. In the paper, a novel drive mechanism was designed with a symmetric distributed double linear motors and a micro-forming system was developed with micro-punching tools and automatic feeding apparatus for metal foil. The servo control system of this micro-forming system was designed using SIMOTION D445, and a parallel control model was adopted with a single motor module to solve the synchronous control problems of double linear motors. Micro-punching process of brass foil was studied with the micro-forming system, and micro-holes of 600 μm, 300 μm and 150 μm in diameter were manufactured with high dimensional accuracy. An array of 50 × 4 micro-holes, each 600 μm in diameter, was manufactured using an automatic feeding apparatus guided by a microscopic visualization system for assisted localization. The results indicate that the micro-forming system with high-accuracy and high-speed is suitable for the mass production of micro-scale parts.     

Development of a micro-punching machine and study on the influence of vibration machining in micro-EDM

This paper describes the development of a novel micro-punching machine that is capable of producing precision micro-holes. A significant feature of this machine is to fabricate the micro-punch and then the micro-die in the same machine, totally eliminating the eccentricity between the punch and the die when punching is proceeded. By applying vibration machining technique, we can decrease the possibility of electric short-circuiting during the micro-EDM process. The utilization of a proportional solenoid as the power unit of the micro-punching machine and as the source of vibration is found to be a successful attempt. Experiments to punch micro-holes with diameters of 0.1 and 0.2 mm on an SUS 304 stainless steel strip with 0.1 mm in thickness were carried out. The results show that the performance of this machine and the geometry of punched micro-holes are satisfactory.     

Development of a high-precision, wear-resistant micro-holes structure

Nickel ions and fine diamond powder are utilized as metal-matrix composites to improve wear-resistance in the development of micro-hole structures. The reinforced microstructure is produced on a specular substrate through a precision extrusion wax and electrochemical co-deposition technique. Oily wax is employed as sacrificial material to draw and grow a feature shape. Co-deposition, in which nickel sulphamate solution and diamond powder are regularly mixed, is conducted for electroforming a layer of metal-matrix composites onto the substrate. The formed micro-holes structure displays excellent geometric and dimensional accuracy of the holes. Satisfactory diamond content provides the wear-resistant metal-matrix composites.     

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.     

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.     

微喷部件阵列孔电火花加工工艺试验研究

比较各种微细阵列孔的电火花加工方法,分析了单电极加工微细阵列孔方法的优点。以去离子水作为工作液,在已研制成功的微喷部件阵列孔电火花加工机床上进行单电极加工微细阵列孔的工艺试验,研究电源参数对微细阵列孔的孔径一致性、加工效率及电极损耗的影响规律。优化微细阵列孔加工的电参数,实现稳定的一次性加工256个直径小于50μm、偏差小于2μm的微细阵列孔。     

SUS304ss包埋粉末渗铝的耐蚀性能

展开了SUS304ss及其渗铝后在0.33 mol/L FeCl₃+0.05 mol/L HCl 溶液中的耐蚀性实验、1000 ℃下的抗高温氧化实验及表面沉积 碱金属氯化物和硫酸盐在500 ℃下的耐蚀性实验,用失重法和电 化学方法等综合评定了SUS304ss渗铝后的耐蚀性。研究表明：渗铝SUS304ss表面渗铝层结构致密,厚度为50μm;在 0.33 mol/L FeCl₃+0.05 mol/L HCl溶液中SUS304ss发生了严重孔蚀,渗铝后表面发生轻微孔蚀;渗铝SUS304ss在1000 ℃下加热,表面和截面形貌完好,耐高温氧化性提高了约5倍;在500 ℃下表面沉积盐碱混合物,渗铝SUS304ss耐腐蚀性约提高20倍;渗铝后SUS304ss的腐蚀电位大于未渗铝钢,耐蚀性提高。     

Effects of diamond size of CMP conditioner on wafer removal rates and defects for solid (non-porous) CMP pad with micro-holes

Wafer removal rates and defects were investigated for 200 mm tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) oxide chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) processes using two types of CMP pads: a porous pad and a solid pad with micro-holes. An initial CMP test conducted with fumed silica based-slurry and a conditioner with 180 μm diamond revealed that the wafer removal rates by the solid pad with micro-holes were approximately 10% lower than those by the porous pad, but scratch type defects were reduced. In order to increase the removal rate of a solid pad with micro-holes to the comparable level of a regular porous pad without changing process parameters, it was decided to modify conditioner design by using different diamond size from 70 to 130 μm. It was found that wafer removal rates increased from 2973 to 2587 Å/min and defect counts reduced from 5.3 to 1.7 by decreasing the diamond size from 180 to 70 μm in the case of the solid pad with micro-holes. Various pad surface analysis results, including contact area estimation and microscopic observations, also revealed that a smaller diamond conditioner generated the pad texture with finer and more regular pad asperities.     

Electrochemical synthesis of polypyrrole macro-tubes on aluminum substrate

A novel structure of conductive polymer films was synthesized by electropolymerization on aluminum substrate under potentiostatic condition at a relatively high applied potential. A thick film of polypyrrole was electrodeposited onto aluminum substrate from an aqueous electrolyte solution of NaNO₃ with pH 12 by applying a constant potential of 2.0 V versus SCE. This polypyrrole film has a good stability with strong adhesion to the substrate surface. However, the morphological structure of the film is different from those previously observed for conductive polymers. Large tubes (ca. 100–200 μm in diameter) are formed, which are spiraled around the cylindrical substrate electrode. Although, the internal channels of these polypyrrole macro-tubes are very wide, the polypyrrole synthesized is sufficiently dense, guaranteeing excellent mechanical stability for this novel morphological structure. On the other hand, such large walls of the macro-tubes have nano-structures.     

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.     

The aqueous electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of diamond–diamond laminates

The aqueous electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of a diamond/diamond laminate with two alternating grades of diamond was investigated. Diamond particles of average particle size 0.5 μm and 2 μm were deposited in an alternating manner onto tungsten carbide substrate. The layered diamond deposit was sintered with the carbide substrate in a high-pressure, high-temperature press. The sintered deposit was examined for evidence of alternating residual stresses. Differences of cobalt content in the 0.5 and 2 μm layers were observed by image analysis. The sintered diamond laminate demonstrated only minimal crack deflection during three-point bending.     

Effect of Ambient Pressure on Flattening Behavior of Thermal Sprayed Particles

Cu splats were thermally sprayed onto the mirror polished SUS304 substrate surface at various ambient pressures ranging from 6.66 to 101.33 kPa. The effect of ambient pressure on the flattening behavior of the particle was systematically investigated. It was observed that only around 10% or less of disk-shaped splats deposited at atmospheric pressure. The splat shape on the flat substrate had a transitional changing tendency from a splash splat to a disk one with a decrease of the ambient pressure. The tendency of splash splat change with increasing the ambient pressure agreed with the BET curve, which indicates that adsorption/desorption of the adsorbed gas/condensation plays an important role on the flattening behavior of thermal sprayed particles. Moreover, a part of substrates were polished to a mirror finish and heated to 573 K for 10 min, then elapsed to air atmosphere for different duration of up to 1 h. The fundamental static wetting behavior of the once heated substrate surface by a water droplet was investigated. The contact angle measurement results agreed well with the splat morphologies. No chemical change and surface topography change took place with the elapse time increasing. Hence, the occurrence of desorption caused by reducing the ambient pressure or by substrate preheating provided good wetting. Wetting of substrate surface by molten particles may dominate the flattening behavior of thermal sprayed particles.     

Development of a micro diamond grinding tool by compound process

This study presents a novel micro-diamond tool which is 100 μm in diameter and that allows precise and micro-grinding during miniature die machining. A novel integrated process technology is proposed that combines “micro-EDM” with “precision composite electroforming” for fabricating micro-diamond tools. First, the metal substrate is cut down to 50 μm in diameter using WEDG, then, the micro-diamonds with 0–2 μm grain is “plated” on the surface of the substrate by composite electroforming, thereby becoming a multilayer micro-grinding tool. The thickness of the electroformed layer is controlled to within 25 μm. The nickel and diamond form the bonder and cutter, respectively. To generate good convection for the electroforming solution, a partition designed with an array of drilled holes is recommended and verified. Besides effectively decreasing the impact energy of the circulatory electroforming solution, the dispersion of the diamond grains and displacement of the nickel ions are noticeably improved. Experimental results indicate that good circularity of the diamond tool can be obtained by arranging the nickel spherules array on the anode. To allow the diamond grains to converge toward the cathode, so as to increase the opportunity of reposing on the substrate, a miniature funnel mold is designed. Then the distribution of the diamond grains on the substrate surface is improved. A micro-ZrO₂ ceramic ferrule is grinded to verify the proposed approach. The surface roughness of R_a = 0.085 μm is obtained. It is demonstrated that the micro-diamond grinding tool with various outer diameters is successfully developed in this study. The suggested approach, which depends on machining applications, can be applied during the final machining. Applications include dental drilling tools, precision optic dies, molds and tools, and biomedical instruments.     

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.     

热喷涂镍粉在SUS304及A6063基体上的沉积行为

为阐明基体材料对单个颗粒沉积行为的影响,采用大气等离子喷涂技术将镍粉喷涂到镜面研磨后的不锈钢SUS304及铝合金A6063基体上,并通过扫描电子显微镜及聚焦离子束等技术观察在基体上收集的沉积物正面及截面形貌。结果表明:Ni在SUS304基体上呈明显的溅射沉积,单个沉积物的中心部位与周围溅射物相分离,沉积物底部及内部均可见明显气孔,溅射可能是由基体表面的吸附质在熔滴在基体表面铺展过程中脱附所导致。同时,Ni粉在A6063基体上呈现花朵状溅射,中心部位有明显的分层现象,这可能与基体材料的热导率、熔点以及基体表面吸附质的脱附等因素密切相关。     

304不锈钢氧离子溅射的同步辐射光电子能谱原位研究I．钢中金属元素的氧化行为

利用同步辐射光电子能谱(SR-XPS)原位研究了经溅射的SUS304不锈钢中Fe、Ni、Cr合金元素与氧离子的化学反应活性差异及三种金属元素问的相互作用规律．经低能氧离子溅射后,不锈钢表面形成了一薄层氧化物膜,元素Cr和Ni分别以和NiO形式存在;铁元素的氧化产物随氧离子溅射量的增加分别以FeO、FeO和共存、全部生成的形式存在．在SUS304不锈钢中,铬元素与氧离子的化合能力最强,铁元素次之,镍元素的化合能力较弱．同纯金属与氧离子的化合行为比较发现三种金属元素合金化后,铁、铬元素与氧离子的化合能力提高,而镍元素的氧化速度降低．氧化过程中铁元素与镍元素间存在相互作用,只有当铁元素与氧离子反应生成后,镍元素才开始氧化．     

Study of precision micro-holes in borosilicate glass using micro EDM combined with micro ultrasonic vibration machining

Because of its excellent anodic bonding property and surface integrity, borosilicate glass is usually used as the substrate for micro-electro mechanical systems (MEMS). For building the communication interface, micro-holes need to be drilled on this substrate. However, a micro-hole with diameter below 200 μm is difficult to manufacture using traditional machining processes. To solve this problem, a machining method that combines micro electrical-discharge machining (MEDM) and micro ultrasonic vibration machining (MUSM) is proposed herein for producing precise micro-holes with high aspect ratios in borosilicate glass. In the investigations described in this paper, a circular micro-tool was produced using the MEDM process. This tool was then used to drill a hole in glass using the MUSM process. The experiments showed that using appropriate machining parameters; the diameter variations between the entrances and exits (DVEE) could reach a value of about 2 μm in micro-holes with diameters of about 150 μm and depths of 500 μm. DVEE could be improved if an appropriate slurry concentration; ultrasonic amplitude or rotational speed was utilized. In the roundness investigations, the machining tool rotation speed had a close relationship to the degree of micro-hole roundness. Micro-holes with a roundness value of about 2 μm (the max. radius minus the min. radius) could be obtained if the appropriate rotational speed was employed.     

On-machine dry electric discharge truing of diamond wheels for micro-structured surfaces grinding

Precision grinding with diamond wheels gives a promising alternative to achieve high quality micro-structured surfaces on optical molds. However, it is difficult to true these diamond wheels efficiently, because of the remarkable resistance property and the geometrical limitation of small wheel profile. In this paper, an on-machine dry-EDT method to precision shape and prepare diamond wheels with various profiles was proposed for micro-structured surface grinding. Firstly, the fundamental truing errors were analyzed based on the dry-EDT kinematics. And then the capabilities of dry-EDT truing for high abrasive concentration metal bonded diamond wheels were presented. Next, the effects of kinematic parameters variables on trued wheel profile accuracy were investigated. Finally, the micro-structured surfaces on SiC ceramic and tungsten carbide WC were ground by these trued diamond wheels. The experiments results showed that the arc-shaped diamond wheel (diameter of 200 mm) with 4 μm profile error (PV) and 1.0023 mm profile radius, and the V-shaped diamond wheel with 22.5 μm V-tip radius and 120.03° profile angle could be obtained by on-machine dry EDT. The kinematic parameters of dry-EDT have an important influence on truing profile accuracy of diamond wheels, especially for the tip of V-shaped wheel. The subsequent grinding show that the edge radius of V groove array on SiC is less than 2 μm, while the radius of included corner is around 55 μm. The PV error of ground arc groove array on WC is less than 5 μm. The surface roughness of ground micro-structured surface R_a is 142 nm and 97 nm for SiC and WC, respectively.     

Mechanical property of Fe-base metallic glass coating formed by gas tunnel type plasma spraying

Metallic glass has excellent functions such as high toughness and corrosion resistance. Therefore it is one of the most attractive materials, and many researchers have conducted various developmental research works. However, the metallic glass material is expensive and a composite material is preferred for the industrial application. Thermal spraying method is one of potential candidates to produce metallic glass composites. The gas tunnel type plasma system, which has high energy density and efficiency, is useful for smart plasma processing to obtain high quality ceramic coatings such as alumina (Al₂O₃) and zirconia (ZrO₂) coatings. Also, the gas tunnel type plasma spraying can produce metallic glass coatings. In this study, the Fe-base metallic glass coatings were formed on the stainless-steel substrate by the gas tunnel type plasma spraying, and the microstructure and mechanical property were investigated. The Fe-base metallic glass coatings of about 200 μm in thickness were dense with a Vickers hardness of about Hv = 1100 at plasma current of 300 A. The abrasive wear resistance of Fe-base metallic glass coating was higher than the SUS substrate.