Integration of Digital and Physical Data to Process Difficult-to-Cut Materials

Abstract

Manufacturing high-quality products at the lowest possible cost requires an understanding of the often complex relationships between many factors. The current plethora of different materials and manufacturing processes has made it both a challenge and an opportunity to select the right combination to produce a high quality product while minimising costs. Ultra-precision diamond turning has been used to machine workpieces with a surface roughness Ra < 5 nm and a form accuracy < 250 nm. This process mainly uses materials such as aluminum, copper, electroless nickel and some plastics. Conventional ultra precision diamond turning cannot be used to machine ferrous metals such as hardened steel. A chemical reaction takes place between the carbon in the diamond and the iron in the steel, which greatly increases the wear on the tool. The method using ultrasonic vibrations close to 100 kHz in the diamond turning process has been developed to reduce the contact time between the tool and the workpiece. Vibration assisted milling could be useful for surface finish of difficult-to-cut metallic alloys. Vibration-assisted drilling is efficient when high-frequency vibrations excite the workpiece and enables the processing of fragile materials such as glass or ceramics. In order to induce the brittle-ductile transition of hard material, a method and patented equipment have been developed that enable the actuator of the workpiece to be excited at higher vibration modes, resulting in a good machining quality.