Development of micro milling tool made of single crystalline diamond for ceramic cutting

In order to machine micro aspheric ceramic molds precisely and efficiently, micro milling tools made of single crystalline diamond (SCD) are developed. Many cutting edges are fabricated 3-dimensionally on the edge of a cylindrical SCD by a laser beam. Flat binderless tungsten carbide mold was cut with the developed tool to evaluate the tool wear rate and its life. Some micro aspheric molds of tungsten carbide were cut with the tool at a rotational speed of 50,000 min⁻¹. The molds were cut in the ductile mode. The form accuracy obtained was about 100 nm P–V and the surface roughness 12 nm R_z.     

Development of Ultrasonic Vibration Assisted Polishing Machine for Micro Aspheric Die and Mold

Demands are increasing for micro axis-symmetric aspherical lenses to be installed in various optical devices. The micro glass lenses are generally molded by glass press process with micro aspheric ceramic molding dies or molds made of tungsten carbide or silicon carbide. These dies and molds are mostly ground with micro diamond wheels, but require additional finishing process as the size of the dies and molds become smaller and the required accuracy becomes higher. In order to finish micro aspheric dies and molds with diameter less than 3mm, an ultrasonic vibration assisted polishing machine is developed. A small polishing tool is mounted on a 3-axis controlled table, and vibrated at an ultrasonic frequency with piezo-electric actuators. The polishing pressure can be controlled with a resolution of 2 mN. Some micro aspheric molding dies made of binder-less tungsten carbide were polished, and the form accuracy below 70 nmP-V and surface roughness of 7 nmRy were obtained with the developed machine.     

Tool life and tool wear in the semi-finish milling of inclined surfaces

Functional die and mold components have complex geometries and are made of high hardness materials, which make them difficult to machine. This work contributes to a better understanding of this type of process and of the wear mechanisms of tools used in semi-finishing operations of hardened steels for dies and molds. Several milling experiments were carried out to cut AISI H13 steel with 50 HR_C of hardness using the high-speed milling technique. The main goal was to verify the influence of workpiece surface inclination and cutting conditions on tool life and tool wear mechanisms. The main conclusions were the inclination of the machined surface strongly influences tool life and tool wear involves different mechanisms. At the beginning of tool life, the wear was caused mainly by abrasion on the flank face plus diffusion and attrition on the rake face. At the end of tool life, the mechanisms were adhesions and microchipping at the cutting edge.     

Precision grinding of structured ceramic molds by diamond wheel trued with alloy metal

Needs of micro structured components and its molds/dies are increasing in a solar cell system, an infrared night view and micro medical devices. In order to improve the accuracy of the structured molds/dies made of tungsten carbide, a new truing method of the diamond grinding wheel by alloy metals was proposed and the performance of the proposed truing method was evaluated. In the grinding test, Fresnel molds of tungsten carbide were ground by using the diamond wheel trued with the alloy metal. From the experiments it was clear that the form accuracy and surface roughness of the ground molds were improved.     

分层厚度对微细电火花铣削加工模具及热压制品表面粗糙度的影响

分层厚度直接影响微细电火花铣削加工的加工效率及表面粗糙度。为了合理规划微细电火花铣削加工的分层厚度,提高加工效率,研究了分层厚度对微细电火花加工的模具型腔及相应热压成形制品表面粗糙度的影响,同时分析了热压成形制品表面与微模具型腔表面之间的关系,以及热压前、后微模具型腔表面轮廓的变化。结果表明:当电极轨迹重叠率一定时,模具型腔底面的表面粗糙度值随着分层厚度的增加而增大;分层厚度对型腔侧壁表面粗糙度无明显影响;热压制品表面轮廓算术平均偏差小于模具型腔表面轮廓算术平均偏差;热压后的模具表面轮廓发生了变化,表面粗糙度值Ra和峰高Rpk减小,峰谷Rvk增大。     

基于微细电火花加工的微冲切实验研究

针对复杂异型截面微冲切模具加工中凸模难以制备的问题,利用微细电火花三维铣削技术与电火花反拷贝加工技术相结合进行整套微冲切模具的在线制备,解决了复杂异型截面微冲切模具的制备及凹凸模具的对中等问题。采用该复合加工方案进行了微冲切凹凸模具的在线制备和微冲切加工实验,成功制备出精度、质量较好的复杂异形截面微模具及异形孔,并对冲裁件局部特征进行了详细分析,验证了该方案的可行性。     

Performance evaluation of pure CBN tools for machining of steel

Ultra-precision machining is one of the most important machining technologies for the manufacture of precision dies and molds. Typically, single point diamond cutting tools are used to machine molds which are coated with electroless nickel (NiP) for such applications. The high cost of diamond cutters and electroless nickel plating, coupled with problems of pre-mature failure of the coating in service and long lead time are negative factors in this approach. Hence, there is a strong need for the direct ultra-precision machining of mold steel and to develop relevant technologies to address the problem of tool wear. In the machining of alloy steel, cubic boron nitride (CBN) has long been used as an ideal cutting tool material but recently binderless CBN or pure CBN (PCBN) with superior mechanical properties has been developed by Sumitomo Electric Industries in Japan. The objective of this paper is to explore the feasibility of using PCBN tools for direct ultra-precision machining of Stavax, a type of alloy steel from ASSAB. The performance characteristics in terms of surface roughness and tool wear of PCBN (Sumitomo IZ900) and conventional CBN (Sumitomo BN600) under different machining conditions were studied and their results were compared. Based on the experimental results, PCBN has been found to perform better in terms of wear resistance compared to conventional CBN tool. It is also able to achieve near mirror finish of less than 30 nm R_a, and hence it appears to be a promising tool for direct cutting of die and mold materials.     

Productivity enhancement in dies and molds manufacturing by the use of C continuous tool path

The challenge of die and mold milling is to achieve the specified dimensional and geometrical accuracy, and improve the surface roughness, in order to minimize polishing operations, still necessary to meet the tight tolerances required by the automotive industry and the plastic injection sector. The present study investigates the multi-axis milling of a specific mold steel grade Super Plast ® 300* (SP300) [1], by a ball nose carbide tool coated with Ti(CN). Surface finish analysis given by 3D measurements and data processing techniques shows that micro-geometrical defects generated by C¹ continuous tool path are definitely less serious than those obtained by classical tool paths driven via linear interpolation. Also, polishing time saving is more than 30%. Thus, a substantial productivity enhancement is achieved in dies and molds manufacturing.     

Tribological behavior of micro structured surfaces for micro forming tools

Mechanical micro machining processes, like milling and grinding are appropriate technologies for the flexible production of precise molds with complex shapes for metal forming processes. In most cases machining strategies are orientated towards form accuracy of the desired forming tool only. Thus, the generation of tribologically advantageous surfaces is often carried out in subsequent machining steps like honing. In micro scale the subsequent treatment of complex surfaces is very difficult. For that reason it is desirable to create the shape and a suitable surface texture with one tool in one step.This paper is focusing on the comparison of the tribological behavior of polished surfaces with structured surfaces machined by micro milling and micro grinding processes. Micro milling tools and grinding pins with ballend shape are used to create micro structured surfaces. The machining strategy (tool path and line pitch) was varied for both tool types in the same manner. The experiments were carried out on hardened cold working steel using tungsten carbide micro cutters with TiAlN coating and micro grinding pins with an abrasive diamond layer. White light interferometry was used to characterize the machined surfaces and determine the surface parameters. Moreover, a strip drawing test was set up to investigate the tribological behavior of the system consisting of the machined surfaces and thin sheet metals. The results of the strip drawing test suggest a relationship between micro structure and tribological behavior. Finally, the dependencies between machining technology, surface parameters and tribological behavior will be discussed.     

PCD刀具加工强化复合地板中磨损行为的断裂力学研究

本文首先利用断裂力学的理论，分析了聚晶金刚石刀具切削过程中的沿晶和解理两种磨损特征及其形成过程。通过采用SYNDITE聚晶金刚石刀具对Al2O3颗粒表层强化复合地板的切削加工实验，验证了理论分析的正确性。研究表明聚晶金刚石刀具铣削Al2O3表层强化复合地板的过程中，刀具的磨损特征主要由沿晶磨损和解理磨损组成。并且，理论和实验结果表明刀具的磨损特征受到金刚石晶粒尺寸的影响。粗粒度聚晶金刚石易产生解理磨损形貌，细粒度的聚晶金刚石易产生沿晶磨损形貌。同时，研究表明微观裂纹特征对聚晶金刚石刀具的磨损起着重要的作用。     

拐角铣削力建模与MATLAB仿真研究

在模具型腔的加工过程中,拐角铣削加工是不可避免的,其中铣削力是影响工件加工质量和刀具寿命的重要因素。以90°拐角铣削加工为例,利用微元法建立了以刀具参数、进给速度和刀具旋转角度为参变量的铣削力模型,基于MATLAB的GUI模块开发了拐角铣削力仿真软件并进行仿真实验。将仿真结果与采用测力仪测量的结果进行比较,结果显示:仿真结果能有效预测拐角铣削力,为实际切削加工提供参考和理论支撑。     

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.     

高速切削加工刀具材料

介绍了高速切削加工技术及模具高速切削所使用的陶瓷刀具、金刚石刀具、立方氮化硼刀具、涂层刀具的性能特点及应用,探讨了模具高速切削刀具材料的发展方向.     

PCD和HTi10刀具铣削CFRP试验研究

针对碳纤维复合材料(CFRP)难加工的特性,文中采用PCD和HTi10刀具进行了CFRP铣削试验,对加工过程中的铣削力、刀具磨损和表面粗糙度进行了分析。结果表明:PCD和HTi10刀具的铣削力和表面粗糙度变化规律一致,均随转速的增大而减小,随进给速度的增大而增大,但PCD刀具的铣削力更小,加工质量更好;与HTi10相比,PCD刀具的铣削力对刀具磨损更加敏感,更适合应用在加工环境较好的条件下。在CFRP加工过程中,粗加工时优选HTi10刀具,精加工时优选PCD刀具,宜选用高转速、低进给的切削参数。     

Design and development of a precision machine tool using counter motion mechanisms

In order to meet the increasing demand for high-quality miniature parts made of a wide variety of materials, the electronics, biomedical and optical industries are moving towards micro/nano-machining. Currently, mechanical micromachining can only be performed under very low feed rates and small depth of cut, which makes it very difficult to reach reasonable productivity. To cope with the low-productivity problem for micro/nano-machining of high-precision molds or miniature parts, a highly accurate and productive machining center has been designed and developed in this paper. The developed machine tool is equipped with counter balance axes, and each axis is driven at its center of gravity to achieve high acceleration/deceleration without causing any vibration. This paper describes the theoretical and practical background of the design of the machine tool and its control and measurement system. Then, experiments are carried out to evaluate the machining performance of this designed machine tool.     

金刚石工具加工SiO2f/SiO2复合材料的可行性研究

针对石英纤维增强陶瓷基复合材料(SiO_2f/SiO₂)制造的薄壁壳体零件加工过程中存在加工效率低、切削力较大易导致零件破裂和加工表面粗糙度不易达到要求等问题,为寻求零件可行的加工刀具和工艺参数,在阐述微刃切削原理基础上,用其研制的整体多刃PCD刀具和电镀金刚石磨头,开展金刚石工具加工SiO_2f/SiO₂复合材料的可行性研究。结果表明：采用基于微刃切削原理设计的整体多刃PCD刀具加工SiO_2f/SiO₂,因刀具锋利和多刃特点可以实现较大的切深并获得较大的切削效率,但是切削力相对较大;相比于整体多刃PCD刀具,电镀金刚石磨头加工SiO_2f/SiO₂时切削力较小,加工后工件表面质量较好,且其表面粗糙度较低;     

Dynamic rotating-tool turning of micro lens arrays

Diamond micro milling of high-quality micro lens arrays suffers from low machining efficiency, due to the inevitable milling marks along tangential feed direction and the slow spiral tool path interpolated by multiple linear axes. In this article, an advanced cutting process is proposed, namely dynamic rotating-tool (DRT) turning, in which a U-axis attachment on a rotary stage is developed to enable synchronous cutter rotation and radial feed motions of a diamond turning tool. This method is experimentally verified and compared with milling, with significantly enhanced surface quality and machining efficiency, thus bringing a new perspective into ultra-precision machining.     

Composite Machine Tool Structures for High Speed Milling Machines

To maximize the productivity in machining molds and dies, machine tools should operate at high speeds. However, the productivity of mold manufacturing has not increased significantly because CNC milling machines have massive slides, which do not allow rapid acceleration and deceleration during the frequent starts/stops encountered in machining molds and dies. This paper presents the use of composites for these slides to overcome this limitation. The vertical and horizontal slides of a large CNC machine were constructed by bonding high-modulus carbon-fiber epoxy composite sandwiches to welded steel structures using adhesives. These composite structures reduced the weight of the vertical and horizontal slides by 34% and 26%, respectively, and increased damping by 1.5 to 5.7 times without sacrificing the stiffness. Without much tuning, this machine had a positional accuracy of ± 5μm per 300 mm of the slide displacement.     

Correlating surface roughness,tool wear and tool vibration in the milling process of hardened steel using long slender tools

High speed milling is an operation frequently used in finishing and semi-finishing of dies and molds. However, when it is necessary to produce molds with deep cavities and/or with small corner radius, long tools with small diameters are required. This represents a challenge for manufacturing professionals: how to minimize tool vibration using a tool with such low rigidity and obtain good workpiece surface quality and long tool lives. This paper attempts to answer this question. Milling experiments on hardened AISI H13 steel were carried out using integral and indexable insert tools with different tool overhangs and different diameters. Tool wear, workpiece surface roughness and cutting forces were measured and these parameters were correlated with the frequency response function (FRF) obtained with the tools fixed in the machine tool. The main conclusion of this study is that good workpiece surface roughness allied to long tool lives for long tools with small diameters can be achieved, provided the tooth passing frequency used in the milling process (and its harmonics) does not produce high FRF values.     

High-speed five-axis milling of hardened tool steel

This paper investigates critical issues related to high-speed five-axis milling of hardened D2 tool steel (hardness HRc 63). A forging die cavity was designed to represent the typical features in dies and molds and to simulate several effects resulting from complex tool path generation. Cutting tool materials used were coated carbide for the roughing and semi-finishing processes and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) for the finishing process. The effects of complex tool paths on several critical machining issues such as chip morphology, cutting forces, tool wear mechanisms, tool life and surface integrity were also investigated. The main tool failure mode was chipping due to the machine tool dynamics. A five-axis analytical force model that includes the cutter location (CL) data file for computing the chip load has been developed. The effect of instantaneous tilt angle variation on the forces was also included. Verification of the force model has been performed and adopted as a basis for explaining the difficulties involved with high-speed five-axis milling of D2 tool steel.