Adaptive control optimization in micro-milling of hardened steels-evaluation of optimization approaches

Nowadays, the miniaturization of many consumer products is extending the use of micro-milling operations with high-quality requirements. However, the impacts of cutting-tool wear on part dimensions, form and surface integrity are not negligible and part quality assurance for a minimum production cost is a challenging task. In fact, industrial practices usually set conservative cutting parameters and early cutting replacement policies in order to minimize the impact of cutting-tool wear on part quality. Although these practices may ensure part integrity, the production cost is far away to be minimized, especially in highly tool-consuming operations like mold and die micro-manufacturing. In this paper, an adaptive control optimization (ACO) system is proposed to estimate cutting-tool wear in terms of part quality and adapt the cutting conditions accordingly in order to minimize the production cost, ensuring quality specifications in hardened steel micro-parts. The ACO system is based on: (1) a monitoring sensor system composed of a dynamometer, (2) an estimation module with Artificial Neural Networks models, (3) an optimization module with evolutionary optimization algorithms, and (4) a CNC interface module. In order to operate in a nearly real-time basis and facilitate the implementation of the ACO system, different evolutionary optimization algorithms are evaluated such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithms (GA), and simulated annealing (SA) in terms of accuracy, precision, and robustness. The results for a given micro-milling operation showed that PSO algorithm performs better than GA and SA algorithms under computing time constraints. Furthermore, the implementation of the final ACO system reported a decrease in the production cost of 12.3 and 29 % in comparison with conservative and high-production strategies, respectively

Micromachining

To present their work in the field of micromachining, researchers from distant parts of the world have joined their efforts and contributed their ideas according to their interest and engagement. Their articles will give you the opportunity to understand the concepts of micromachining of advanced materials. Surface texturing using pico- and femto-second laser micromachining is presented, as well as the silicon-based micromachining process for flexible electronics. You can learn about the CMOS compatible wet bulk micromachining process for MEMS applications and the physical process and plasma parameters in a radio frequency hybrid plasma system for thin-film production with ion assistance. Last but not least, study on the specific coefficient in the micromachining process and multiscale simulation of influence of surface defects on nanoindentation using quasi-continuum method provides us with an insight in modelling and the simulation of micromachining processes. The editors hope that this book will allow both professionals and readers not involved in the immediate field to understand and enjoy the topic

Experimental analysis of the effect of porosity and primary process parameters on the cutting forces during micromilling of titanium foams

Over the recent years, porous titanium foam became a common material in biomedical applications. Since modem near-net shape technologies are still unable to achieve the desired final shape of the end product, secondary machining operations like, for instance, micromilling are currently regarded as viable manufacturing options. However, a significant lack of information exists on micromilling of porous materials. The main goal of this study was to investigate experimentally the extent of correlation between porosity and cutting forces in the context of porous titanium foam micromilling. The porosity-cutting force interplay was assessed by means of statistical metrics and the effect of several primary cutting parameters on porosity-cutting force interaction was also evaluated. A novel image- based technique was devised to determine porosity distribution along the tool path, when analyzed from a cutting kinematics perspective. Results indicate that under certain cutting conditions, good correlations exist between the signatures of porosity and cutting force

Surface Finish Modeling in Micromilling of Biocompatible Materials

Over the last few decades, miniaturization of the product became a necessity for many industries to achieve successful technological development, satisfy customer needs, and stay economically competitive in the market. Thus, many medical, aerospace, and electronic devices tend to decrease in size. Along with the strong demand for miniaturization, new cutting-edge micromanufacturing techniques are developing in order to produce microcomponents with a smooth surface finish and high dimensional accuracy. In the medical industry, some devices require manufacturing of fluidic microchannels on biocompatible materials for transportation of exact amount of medicine to a defined location. Often such microchannels must be manufactured to achieve a high aspect ratio, a submicron surface finish, and an anisotropic controlled profile. The fabrication of such channels on biocompatible materials still poses a challenge. This study developed micromanufacturing technique to produce the microchannels and satisfy all the requirements listed above. Computer controlled micromilling on a high speed machine system in minimum quantity lubrication was used to remove most materials and define a channel pattern. Microchannels were machined with ball end mills of diameters from Ø152μm to Ø198μm on NiTi alloy, 304 and 316L stainless steels. Assessment of microchannel was performed with optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and white light interferometry. The theoretical surface roughness in ball end milling was derived using geometrical approach. The theoretical surface finish model was compared and validated with the experimental surface finish data. Meso- and macro-scale milling confirmed the validity of the model, but surface finish in micro-scale milling was measured to be a few orders of magnitude higher due to size effect and build-up edge. The build-up-edge was reduced when using AlTiN coated tools and milling in minimum quantity lubrication. The empirical surface roughness model obtained in this study shows the dependence of surface finish on chip load in micromilling. In order to further enhance the surface finish of milled microchannels additional finishing technique was identified. A separate study developed an effective electrochemical polishing technique to remove burrs and enhance surface finish of milled microchannels. When applying to 304, 316L stainless steel alloys and NiTi alloy, this hybrid technique can repeatedly produce microchannels with an average surface finish less than 100nm

Tooling performance in micro milling: Modelling, simulation and experimental study

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.With the continuing trend towards miniaturization, micro milling plays an increasingly important role in fabrication of freeform and high-accuracy micro parts or components directly and cost-effectively. The technology is in kinematics scaled down from the conventional milling, however, existing knowledge and experiences are limited and comprehensive studies on the micro tooling performance are essential and much needed particularly for the process planning and optimization. The cutting performance of micro tools is largely dependent on the dynamic performance of machine tools, tooling characteristics, work material properties and process conditions, and the latter three aspects will be focused in the study. The state of the art of micro milling technology with respect to the tooling performance has been critically reviewed, together with modelling work for performance prediction as well as metrology and instrumentation for the performance characterization. A novel 3D finite element method taking into account the geometry of a micro tool, including the tool diameter, rake angle, relief angle, cutting edge radius and helix angle, has been proposed for modelling and simulation of the micro milling process. Validation through well-designed micro milling trials demonstrates that the approach is capable of characterizing the milling process effectively. With the support of FEM simulation developed, the tooling geometrical effects, including those from helix angle, rake angle and cutting edge radius with influences on cutting forces, tool stresses, tool temperatures, milling chip formation and temperatures have been comprehensively studied and compared for potential micro tool design and optimization purposes. In an effort to prolong the tool life and enhance the tooling efficiency, DLC and NCD coatings have been deposited on micro end mills by PE-CVD and HF-CVD processes respectively. Corresponding cutting performance of these coated tools have been assessed and compared with those of WC micro tools in both dry and wet cutting conditions so as for better understanding of the coating influence on micro tools. Furthermore, the cutting characteristics of the DLC coated and uncoated tools have been analysed through verified plane-strain simulations. The effects of coating friction coefficient, coating thickness and UCT have been determined and evaluated by design of simulation method. Mechanical, chemical and physical properties of a work material have a direct influence on its micro-machinability. Five most common engineering materials including Al 6061-T6, C101, AISI 1045, 304 and P20, have been experimentally investigated and their micro milling behaviours in terms of the cutting forces, tool wear, surface roughness, and micro-burr formation have been compared and characterized. Feed rate, cutting speed and axial depth of cut constitute the complete set of process variables and they have significant effects on the tooling performance. Fundamental understanding of their influences is essential for production engineers to determine optimum cutting parameters so as to achieve the maximum extension of the tool life. 3D FE-based simulations have been carried out to predict the process variable effects on the cutting forces, tool stresses, tool temperatures as well as micro milling chip formation and temperatures. Furthermore, experimental approach has been adopted for the surface roughness characterization. Suggestions on selecting practical cutting variables have been provided in light of the results obtained. Conclusions with respect to the holistic investigation on the tooling performance in micro milling have been drawn based on the research objectives achieved. Recommendations for future work have been pointed out particularly for further future research in the research area.This study is funded by Brunel University and the UK Technology Strategy Board (TSB)

Analytical and simulation-based prediction of surface roughness for micromilling hardened HSS

The high quality demand for machined functional surfaces of forming tools, entail extensive investigations for the adjustment of the manufacturing process. Since the surface quality depends on a multitude of influencing factors in face micromilling, a complex optimization problem arises. Through analytical and simulative approaches, the scope of the experimental investigation to meet the requirements for surface roughness can be significantly reduced. In this contribution, both analytical and simulation-based approaches are presented in the context of predicting the roughness of a machined surface. The consideration of actual tool geometry and shape deviations are used in a simulation system to achieve the agreement with experimental results

Micromachining – Review of Literature from 1980 to 2010

Trend of miniaturization of products and consequently its components nowadays can be evident in almost every production field. To accomplish requirements imposed by miniaturization micromachining proved to be a satisfied manufacturing technique. Herein the term micromachining refers to mechanical micro cutting techniques where material is removed by geometrically determined cutting edges. The aim of this review article is to summarize existing knowledge and highlight current challenges, restrictions and advantages in the field of micromachining

Experimental investigations on micro milling of stavax stainless steel

Micro mechanical milling of Stavax (modified AISI 420) stainless steel which is commonly used in the plastic injection molding industry due to its high corrosion resistance, machinability and wear resistance is studied in this paper. The goal of this study is to investigate the influence of process input parameters such as cutting speed, depth of cut, feed per tooth, radial immersion percentage, and plunging method on process outputs during circular pocketing operation. Tool wear, machining forces and surface roughness measurements are considered to identify the relationships between process inputs and outputs. It is observed that plunging method has a significant influence on tool wear which in turn affects micro milling forces and surface quality. The positive impact of micro milling with a pre-drilled hole is demonstrated. The relationship between radial immersion and feed per tooth is shown to be important in terms of tool wear and surface roughness. © 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V

Titanium Alloys

Titanium alloys, due to unique physical and chemical properties (mainly high relative strength combined with very good corrosion resistance), are considered as an important structural metallic material used in hi-tech industries (e.g. aerospace, space technology). This book provides information on new manufacturing and processing methods of single- and two-phase titanium alloys. The eight chapters of this book are distributed over four sections. The first section (Introduction) indicates the main factors determining application areas of titanium and its alloys. The second section (Manufacturing, two chapters) concerns modern production methods for titanium and its alloys. The third section (Thermomechanical and surface treatment, three chapters) covers problems of thermomechanical processing and surface treatment used for single- and two-phase titanium alloys. The fourth section (Machining, two chapters) describes the recent results of high speed machining of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and the possibility of application of sustainable machining for titanium alloys

Laser Assisted Mechanical Micromachining of Hard-to-Machine Materials

There is growing demand for micro and meso scale devices with applications in the field of optics, semiconductor and bio-medical fields. In response to this demand, mechanical micro-cutting (e.g. micro-milling) is emerging as a viable alternative to lithography based micromachining techniques. Mechanical micromachining methods are capable of generating three-dimensional free-form surfaces to sub-micron level precision and micron level accuracies in a wide range of materials including common engineering alloys. However, certain factors limit the types of workpiece materials that can be processed using mechanical micromachining methods. For difficult-to-machine materials such as tool and die steels, limited machine-tool system stiffness and low tool flexural strength are major impediments to the use of mechanical micromachining methods. This thesis presents the design, fabrication and analysis of a novel Laser-assisted Mechanical Micromachining (LAMM) process that has the potential to overcome these limitations. The basic concept involves creating localized thermal softening of the hard material by focusing a solid-state continuous wave laser beam of diameter ranging from 70-120 microns directly in front of a miniature (300 microns-1 mm wide) cutting tool. By suitably controlling the laser power, spot size and speed, it is possible to produce a sufficiently large decrease in flow stress of the work material and, consequently, the cutting forces. This in turn will reduce machine/tool deflection and chances of catastrophic tool failure. The reduced machine/tool deflection yields improved accuracy in the machined feature. In order to use this process effectively, adequate thermal softening needs to be produced while keeping the heat affected zone in the machined surface to a minimum. This has been accomplished in the thesis via a detailed process characterization, modeling of process mechanics and optimization of process variables.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Melkote, Shreyes; Committee Member: Vengazhiyil, Roshan; Committee Member: Graham, Samuel; Committee Member: Johnson, Steven; Committee Member: Liang, Steve