Study on the tool setting method of micro-milling tool based on in-line holography

Aiming at the various shortcomings of existing tool setting methods, this paper proposes a coaxial holographic tool setting method for tiny tools. Based on the research and analysis of the principle of holographic imaging and the key issues of holographic images, a set of holographic tool setting detection device for micro milling tool was built, and the micro milling tool measurement was carried out on the five-axis machining center using standard tools. experiment. Experimental results show that the tool setting device can efficiently perform tool setting detection of micro-milling tool. Compared with the measurement results of the high-precision external presetting instrument, the relative error of the contact tool setting instrument is 0.033%, and the relative error of the holographic tool setting prototype is 0.007%, which is more effective in realizing the tool setting of tiny tools. Detection. This result verifies the feasibility of the coaxial holographic tool setting method for micro tool, that is, holographic measurement can be used for high-precision tool setting of micro milling tool.

Investigation of Gyroscopic Effect on the Stability of High Speed Micromilling via Bifurcation Analysis

Catastrophic tool failure due to the low flexural stiffness of the micro-tool is a major concern for micromanufacturing industries. This issue can be addressed using high rotational speed, but the gyroscopic couple becomes prominent at high rotational speeds for micro-tools affecting the dynamic stability of the process. This study uses the multiple degrees of freedom (MDOF) model of the cutting tool to investigate the gyroscopic effect in machining. Hopf bifurcation theory is used to understand the long-term dynamic behavior of the system. A numerical scheme based on the linear multistep method is used to solve the time-periodic delay differential equations. The stability limits have been predicted as a function of the spindle speed. Higher tool deflections occur at higher spindle speeds. Stability lobe diagram shows the conservative limits at high rotational speeds for the MDOF model. The predicted stability limits show good agreement with the experimental limits, especially at high rotational speeds.

Complex shaped micro-channels generation using tools fabricated by AWJ milling process

Fabrication of complex shape micro-channels is a major challenge for manufacturing industries. Currently in commercial applications, lithography and non-conventional machining processes like lasers, electro-discharge machining (EDM) and chemical etching are commonly used for fabrication of these channels. In the present work, a novel Abrasive water jet (AWJ) milling based tool fabrication strategy has been proposed and implemented to make micro-tools (die/ electrode). The path strategy for jet movement is considered in a manner to selectively remove metal from a piece of material such that the resulting three-dimensional features become the required die shape that can be used as tool for the texturing process. Micro-tool of complex shape as fabricated on hard material (EN 31) sheet of 12 mm thickness and its geometry were analysed by controlling the step over (SO) distance. Hydraulic control based hard press contact texturing setup was developed to analyse the performance of such fabricated tools. Experiments were conducted on soft materials like, PMMA, Copper, Brass, aluminium and Nylon. Taper along the depth of the channels was observed because of the taper of the tool during fabrication. During fabrication, width of the tool less than 200 μ m was found wavi in nature as there was not enough backing material present to bear the side wise jet pressure of impinging jet. Buckling on the tools was observed with tool height greater than 1 mm.

Anodic Dissolution Behaviour of Passive Layer During Hybrid Electrochemical Micromachining of Ti6Al4V in NaNO3 Solution

Titanium and its alloys are considered as difficult to cut material classes, and their processing through the traditional machining methods is a painful task. These materials have an outstanding combination of properties like high specific strength, excellent corrosive resistance, and exceptional bio-compatibility; therefore, they have broad fields of application like aerospace, MEMS, bio-medical, etc. Electrochemical micromachining (ECMM) is a very vital process for the production of micro-domain features in difficult-to-machine materials. The machining issue with ECMM for titanium and their alloys is the passive layer formation, which hinders the dissolution and causes stray removal. To overcome these issues, a hybrid ECMM approach has been proposed by using a diamond abrasive tool combined with ECMM. The present study focuses on the detailed characterization of the passive layer formed using the hybrid approach. Through the use abrasive tool, the abrasive grits scoop the passive layer by the mechanical grinding action, formed in micro-drilling on the Ti6Al4V alloy to expose a new surface for further dissolution. The micro-holes were produced incorporating the abrasive tool and then compared by the holes created using a cylindrical tool (tool without abrasive). The taper and the stray dissolution of the micro-holes were also compared, produced at different applied potentials. The minimum average entry overcut and exit overcut of the hole were obtained as 29 µm and 3 µm, respectively, also a micro-hole with the lowest taper of 2.7°, achieved by the use of the abrasive micro tool.

Effect of tool rotation on the fabrication of micro-tool by electrochemical micromachining

Electrochemical micromachining (EMM) uses anodic dissolution in the range of microns to remove material. Complex shapes that are difficult to machine on hard materials can be fabricated easily with the help of EMM without any stresses on the workpiece surface and no tool wear. Fabrication of microfeatures on microdevices is a critical issue in modern technologies. For the fabrication of microfeatures, precise micro-tools have to be fabricated. In this present study, EMM milling is used for the fabrication of micro-tools. For this, an EMM setup has been designed. Tungsten carbide tools with an initial diameter of 520 µm have been selected and are electrochemically machined to reduce their diameter. The tool and workpiece are connected as anode and cathode, respectively. The electrolyte solution used for this investigation is sodium nitrate. A comparative analysis of the effect of tool rotation over both machining accuracy and surface finish has been performed.

Applying experimental micro-tool wear measurement techniques to industrial environments

Productivity in micro-milling is hindered by premature fracture of tools and difficulty predicting wear. This work builds upon previous investigations into tool wear mechanisms and coatings for micro-mills.The technology readiness level of this work exceeds previous studies by investigating the micro-mills for practical applications and comparing this data. 0.5 mm micro end mills are tested with different coatings on CuZn38, and wear curves produced both in the case of simple straight slot testing and milling of complex parts representing industrial applications. The results show that curves produced using straight slots can be used to predict the behaviour of tools used to machine industrial parts. Due to interrupted cutting, tools used in straight slot tests reach the end of steady state wear after approximately 12 s of cutting as compared with 170 s in continuous milling. Typical cutting forces seen for the tools are in the order of 2–4 N. Catastrophic failure is seen towards the end of tool life for a TiAlN tool with a cutting force of over 30 N seen. For the first time a comparison has been made between fundamental tool wear studies and tool wear observed when producing test pieces representative to micro-industrial parts. This presents a novel perspective on tool wear and facilitates the integrating of existing micro-milling research into industry