Abrasive waterjet micro-machining of channels in metals: Comparison between machining in air and submerged in water

Abrasive water jet technology can be used for micro-milling using recently developed miniaturized nozzles. Abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining is often used with both the nozzle tip and workpiece submerged in water to reduce noise and contain debris. This paper compares the performance of submerged and unsubmerged abrasive water jet micro-milling of channels in 316L stainless steel and 6061-T6 aluminum at various nozzle angles and standoff distances. The effect of submergence on the diameter and effective footprint of AWJ erosion footprints was measured and compared. It was found that the centerline erosion rate decreased with channel depth due to the spreading of the jet as the effective standoff distance increased, and because of the growing effect of stagnation as the channel became deeper. The erosive jet spread over a larger effective footprint in air than in water, since particles on the jet periphery were slowed much more quickly in water due to increased drag. As a result, the width of a channel machined in air was wider than that in water. Moreover, it was observed that the instantaneous erosion rate decreased with channel depth, and that this decrease was a function only of the channel cross-sectional geometry, being independent of the type of metal, the jet angle, the standoff distance, and regardless of whether the jet was submerged or in air, in either the forward or backward directions. It is shown that submerged AWJM results in narrower features than those produced while machining in air, without a decrease in centerline etch rate.     

Electromagnetism-like algorithms for optimized tool path planning in 5-axis flank machining

Optimization of tool path planning using metaheuristic algorithms such as ant colony systems (ACS) and particle swarm optimization (PSO) provides a feasible approach to reduce geometrical machining errors in 5-axis flank machining of ruled surfaces. The optimal solutions of these algorithms exhibit an unsatisfactory quality in a high-dimensional search space. In this study, various algorithms derived from the electromagnetism-like mechanism (EM) were applied. The test results of representative surfaces showed that all EM-based methods yield more effective optimal solutions than does PSO, despite a longer search time. A new EM-MSS (electromagnetism-like mechanism with move solution screening) algorithm produces the most favorable results by ensuring the continuous improvement of new searches. Incorporating an SPSA (simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation) technique further improves the search results with effective initial solutions. This work enhances the practical values of tool path planning by providing a satisfactory machining quality.     

A Linear Cross-Coupled Control System for High-Speed Machining

We present a linear cross-coupled controller to improve highspeed contouring accuracy independently of tracking accuracy in a biaxial machine tool feed drive servomechanism. Unlike conventional cross-coupled controllers, the cross-coupled controller presented here is a linear system, so it is very easy to perform the stability and steady-state error analysis, and to optimise the controller parameters. The proposed controller is evaluated experimentally on a CNC LOM machine and compared to an uncoupled controller and a conventional cross-coupled controller. Controller performance is evaluated for a circular contour at a feedrate of 30 m min _1 . The experimental results show that the proposed controller can greatly reduce the contour error at large feedrates. The linear cross-coupled controller is simple to implement and is practical.     

二维多孔数控钻床加工路径的生成及优化

印刷电路板 PCB的加工是二维多孔数控钻的典型。实践表明加工同一零件不同的走刀路径其长度相差极大。为提高生产率 ,应使刀具的走刀路径尽量短 ,这其实是大型的 TSP问题。本文提出了几种路径的生成方法 ,分析了各自的适用场合。并用实例验证所提出的路径生成方法可极大地提高实际钻孔的加工效率。     

网络化制造中基于STEP-NC的编程方法

STEP-NC是由欧美提出的新的数控接口标准，目的是取代旧的数控标准ISO6983。本文首先分析了STEP-NC的两种应用标准：ISO14649（ARM）和STEPAP238（AIM），并且分析了Part21和Part28的应用领域及Part21文件格式和其中的信息产生方法。然後介绍了ST-Developer环境下ROSEC＋＋颠库编程接口及其应用程序的早、晚编联方式，并且以此为基础设计了整个程序的编程流程，重点介绍了工艺规划设计。最后给出了在C＋＋编程环境下利用ROSE库函数写入形成STEP AP238文件的方法。     

铣制三元流叶轮时产生误差的原因分析及解决方法

对在五坐标数控加工中心上铣制三元流叶轮时出现的叶轮附面尺寸误差问题，进行了详细分析，并提出了问题的解决方法，有效地避免了加工中产生的超差。     

钻杆接头螺纹退刀尺寸对接头寿命的影响

钻杆接头螺纹退刀尺寸是指外螺纹接头的台肩面到螺纹消失前第一个完整螺纹之间的距离。GB9253．1－88规定退刀尺寸应小于或等于12．7mm内螺纹，钻杆接头内螺纹的锤孔尺寸为16±2mm，以保证内、外螺纹啮合良好。经检测发现，从日本NKK公司进口的所有φ127mm钻杆接头外螺纹退刀尺寸都大于12．7mm，镗孔尺寸为16～18mm。而APISpec7K规定钻杆接头内螺纹最小镗孔尺寸为15．9mm。鉴于此，建议对我国的有关标准作相应修改，与API标准保持一致。     

数控加工的基本坐标系和对刀问题

数控加工中的对刀问题影响机械加工的各个方面。这里从介绍数控机床的基本坐标系出发，重点阐述了对刀的基本原理和方法以及常见数控机床对刀问题的处理。     

多功能滚齿机的数字控制系统

本文叙述了以ＳＴＤＰＣ／ＸＴ（或ＰＣ／ＡＴ）机为主要核心构成的滚齿机数字控制系统的结构，软件设计和特点，系统采用混合语言编程，极大地提高了软件设计的灵活性与快速性，也分析了ＣＮＣ系统的加工过程，提出了加工中的软件预处理控制方法，并给出了轴伺服控制的并行算法分析与实现。     

Ultrasonic measurement of the inter-electrode gap in electrochemical machining

During the process of electrochemical machining the dependency of the inter-electrode gap with time and process parameters can be used to determine process characteristics and to define the shape of the workpiece surface relative to the tool surface. Defining process variables to map out the required gap-time function requires the use of time-consuming iterative trials. In-line monitoring of the gap would enable process control and tool to workpiece transfer characteristics to be achieved (for ideal conditions) without the requirement to generate such parameter maps. This work explores the use of ultrasound applied as a passive, non-intrusive, in-line gap measurement system for ECM. The accuracy of this technique was confirmed through correspondence between the generated gap-time and current time data and theoretical models applicable to ideal conditions. Gap measurements are also used to demonstrate and quantify the degree of departure from ideal behaviour for an In718/chloride system as the electrolyte flow rate is reduced from 16 to 4 l min⁻¹. The monitoring of the gap size has also been shown to be effective when determining shape convergence under ideal conditions, for the example case of a 2D sinusoidal profile.