Papers by Keyword: Ultra-Precision Cutting

Abstract: Recently, high efficiency and performance have become necessary attributes of information equipment such as laser printers. Thus, demand has increased for optical scanning parts that reduce optical aberration, scatter, and diffraction are required in laser printers. Polygon mirrors are manufactured by polishing a plating or glassy material to a mirror finish. In this study, we shortened the manufacturing process to improve the productivity and ultra-precision cutting technology of polygon mirrors made of aluminum. Thus, we had to reduce the geometric surface roughness achieved by mirror-cutting Al-Mg alloy and remove tear-out and scratch marks that occur during the cutting process. We investigated the cutting edge shape by using a straight diamond tool to decrease the surface defects produced during the ultra-precision cutting of Al-Mg alloy. We examined the mechanism for the occurrence of scratch marks and a method to reduce them. First, we measured the shape of the scratch marks and the cross-section with a scanning electron microscope. We found the tool collides with crystallization to produce small pieces, which then cause scratch marks. We developed a triple-facet tool with a double-facet at the end cutting edge to remove scratch marks and investigated the influence of surface defects. We clarified that using the triple-facet for a tool setting angle of 0° to 0.04° could achieve a good-quality machined surface without tear-out and scratch marks. In addition, the undeformed chip thickness was less than 80 nm

Abstract: This paper performed a series of finite element method (FEM) simulation to investigate the influence of the tool wear on the cutting temperature in the diamond ultra-precision cutting of the aluminum alloy mirror. The two-dimensional FEM model including the diamond tool with the different average width of wear land on flank face was established. A series of ultra-precision cutting experiments using different cutting distance was performed. The tool wear was detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the cutting temperature was detected by infrared thermal imager. The comparison of the simulation investigations and the experimental investigations was done. The results revealed that the cutting temperature increases with an increase of the average width of wear land on flank face in the FEM simulation. And in the ultra-precision cutting experiments the diamond tool wear becomes severe as the cutting distance increases, meanwhile the severe tool wear results in the higher cutting temperature. Consequently the FEM simulations prove to be right.

Abstract: In this paper, ultra-precision cutting experiments were carried out with titanium alloy material Ti-6A1-4V by using single crystalline diamond tools. Experimental results show that the wear patterns of rake face of diamond tools are crater wear and groove wear, the wear patterns of flank face of diamond tools are uniform wear and groove wear, and the wear mechanisms of single crystalline diamond tool are chemical wear and mechanical wear. Graphitization and microcosmic cleavage of the diamond tools occur in the cutting process.

Abstract: In this study, we investigated ultra-precision cutting technology of aluminum alloys for polygon mirrors made of Al-Mg Alloys. It is necessary to improve the geometric surface roughness achieved in the mirror cutting of Al-Mg alloys and remove tear-out marks and scratch marks that occur during the cutting process. Therefore, we investigated the cutting edge shape using 2 types of straight diamond tools and 2 types of round tools to decrease the surface defects in the ultra-precision cutting of Al-Mg alloys. As a result, a double-facet tool can achieved a good machined surface roughness and reduce the cutting force and the scratch marks compared with other tools.

Abstract: Due to its relatively low mass density, low cost, high strength, the aluminum alloy is an ideal optical material to fabricate the large metal mirror of infrared band optical systems. The diamond ultra-precision cutting can produce ultra smooth machined surfaces without other finishing processes. Consequently, it can be used as a effective method to fabricate the large metal mirror. However, the tool wear is severe during the ultra-precision processes, which will ruduces the surface error of the large metal mirror. In this work, the ultra-precision cutting tests were performed to investigate the tool wear. The tool wear was examined by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the chip was examined by using x-ray energy dispersive spectrdmeter (EDS). The tool wear mechanism and the influence of the chutting parameters on the tool wear were investigated. The results show that the daimond tool occurred abrasive wear and diffusing wear in the diamond ultra-precision cutting of aluminum alloy. The average clearance wear width increases with an increase of the cutting speed and the feed rate. There is a slight rise in the average clearance wear width as the depth of the cut increases in the range of 5μm-15μm. The average clearance wear width obviously increases when the depth of the cut reaches to 20μm.

Abstract: The aluminum alloys are widely used to manufacture large mirror of infrared band optical systems because they have many advantages such as low cost, low mass density, well thermal conductivity, well plasticity and easy manufacturing. In order to imporve the machining efficiency and meet the requirements of suface error and suface roughness of large metal mirror, diamond ultra-precision cutting is used as finish machining to manufacture them. But the diamond tool wear is severe which is induce by the cutting heat and the cutting force during the cutting process. In this work, the metal cutting finit element sofeware-AdvantEdge has been used to study the cutting tempreture in diamond ultra-precision cutting of aluminum alloy, the influence rules of cutting parameters and tool geometric parameters are researched. And the diamond ultra-precesion cutting experiments were performed, the cutting temperature were detected by infrared thermal imager. The results show that the cutting speed exerts the most considerable influence on the cutting temperature, and the cutting temperature increases with an increase in the cutting speed. Although the temperature detected by the infrared thermal imager in the diamond ultra-precesion cutting experiments is lower than that obtained from the simulation of finit element method (FEM), the varied trend of the cutting temperature is the same. So the FEM simulation proves to be true.

Abstract: Recently, increasingly high efficiency and high performance have become to be required of information equipment. As a result, optical scanning parts that reduce optical aberrations, scatter, and diffraction are required in laser printers. It is therefore necessary to improve the geometric surface roughness achieved in mirror cutting of Al alloys and eliminate tear-out marks and scratch marks that can be created during the cutting process. In this study, we investigated the effect of tool wear on the occurrence of surface discontinuities in ultra-precision cutting of Al alloys. In our previous studies, a crystal orientation of {110} plane was adopted in cutting an Al-Si alloy (AHS material, 11wt% Si) and Al-Mg alloy (A5186 material, 4.5wt% Mg) using a straight diamond tool. The cutting edge recession that occurs when cutting AHS material has been reported to be approximately 5 times greater than that which occurs when cutting A5186 material. Therefore, we cut the AHS material for accelerated wear and investigated the cutting edge recession, the surface roughness and the cutting force. We found that the cutting edge recession decreases as the tool wear angle γ increase. For example, at a tool wear angle γ = 40°, the cutting edge recession is approximately 7 times greater than that which occurs at a tool wear angle γ = 12°. As the tool wear angle increases, the cutting distance increase, which produces a mirror like surface. In addition, we were able to obtain a good machined surface using a positive tool setting angle because side cutting edge produces residual stock of removal 0.1 μm when the cutting edge recession is 0.3 μm or more and when it is cut by following end cutting edge.

Abstract: For reducing diamond tool wear in ultra-precision cutting of ferrous metals, a process of combining ultrasonic elliptical vibration with graphite particle atmosphere was put forward. An experimental setup was built integrating an ultrasonic elliptical vibration mechanism with a jet lubrication device on a 4-axis ultra-precision lathe. The frequency of ultrasonic elliptical vibration is 38.36 kHz with a trajectory of 8.5×3.5μm. Graphite particles with sizes of 1.3~2μm were selected. Conventional cutting and the combined method were conducted on die steel. Compared with conventional cutting with a wear land width of about 300μm, diamond tool wear in the combined method was decreased to about 20 to 30μm. The combined method is feasible to further reduce the diamond tool wear when cutting die steel.

Abstract: Fine micro grooves of various depths and pitches were fabricated on brass surface by ultraprecision micro cutting, and the effects of groove geometry and orientation on surface wettability were investigated. Results showed that the contact angle of a liquid drop changes significantly with the depth and orientation of the grooves. By optimizing the grooving conditions, the contact angle was increased to about twice that of a flat surface. Effects of crystal grain boundaries in the workpiece material and effects of cutting conditions on burr formation during micro grooving were studied by both experiments and finite element simulation.

Abstract: Large wear of diamond tools for ultra-precision cutting of soft metals deteriorates quality of machined surface, and the worn tools have to be replaced with new tools when the tool wear reaches limited wear land width of cutting edge generating finished surface. However, it is difficult to predict the tool life since all cutting tools have individual tool life. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to estimate wear land width of cutting edge of a single crystal diamond tool having large nose radius by using static cutting forces during machining. As a result of the cutting tests and measurements, it was found that the ratio of thrust force to principal force had good relation with the ratio of flank wear land area to cutting cross section area. Furthermore, according to some detailed observation of flank wear, width of flank wear land was greatly related to uncut chip thickness obtained under different cutting conditions and it was found that width of flank wear land could be estimated by measured static cutting forces and cutting conditions.