Vibration-assisted milling can lead to higher-quality surfaces
Monday, September 19, 2011 - 09:31
in Physics & Chemistry
In conventional milling operations, a workpiece on a table is typically fed past a rotating multi-tooth cutter, and the entire surface is processed by making a series of overlapping passes. This procedure, however, tends to leave unmilled remnants of material along the edges of the tool path (see image), compromising the quality of the finished surface. Jeong Hoon Ko and Kah Chuan Shaw at the A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology in collaboration with colleagues at Nanyang Technological University have now shown that inducing ultrasonic vibration during high-speed milling of small metal products can lead to smoother, higher-quality surfaces.