Module 6

Micromachining
&
Advanced Finishing Process

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Micromachining

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• Used to fabricate components to micrometer
scale.
• Micromachining is used
– To fabricate complex 3D components
– To obtain nano level surface finish on complex
geometries
– To make and finish micro fluidic channels

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 Diamond turn mechanism
• Diamond cutting tool is used.
• Uses lathes or derivative machine tools
• CNC controlled
• Doesn’t require any further polishing (looks
like polished after machining).

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 Material Removal Mechanism
• Initial stage of machining is carried out at CNC
lathes.
• Diamond turning is the final stage of
manufacturing, to obtain nano level surface
finish.
• This is done by a diamond tipped lathe tool.

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 Applications
• For manufacture of high quality aspheric
optical elements from crystals, metals, acrylic
and other materials.
• Moulding of plastic optics.

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Advanced Finishing Process

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 Advanced Finishing Process
1. Abrasive Flow Machining (AFM)
– One way AFM
– Two way AFM
– In orbital AFM
2. Magnetic Abrasive Finishing (MAF)
3. Magneto rheological Abrasive Flow Finishing
(MR AFF)
4. Magnet Float Polishing (MFP)
5. Elastic Emission Machining
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1) Abrasive Flow Machining (AFM)
• It is a method of smoothening and polishing
internal surfaces and producing controlled radius.
• It is capable of removing scratch marks produced
by other machining processes.
• AFM process is used where polishing of work
piece inner surface is very difficult to reach by
normal tool.
• It uses an abrasive laden polymer medium with
very special rheological properties.
• The polymer abrasive medium possesses easy
flowability, better self deformability and fine
abrading capability.
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One way AFM

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• One-way flow AFM processing pushes
abrasive media through the work piece in only
one direction, allowing the media to exit
freely from the part.

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Two way AFM

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• The typical two-way flow AFM process uses
two vertically opposed cylinders to extrude an
abrasive media back and forth through or
around passages formed by the workpiece
and tooling.
• Abrasive action occurs wherever the media
enters and passes through the most restrictive
passages

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Orbital AFM

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• Surface and edge finishing are achieved by
rapid, low-amplitude, oscillations of the work
piece relative to a self-forming elastic plastic
abrasive polishing tool.
• The tool is a pad or layer of abrasive-laden
elastic plastic medium (similar to that used in
two way abrasive flow finishing), but typically
higher in viscosity and more in elastic.

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Magnetic Abrasive Finishing (MAF)

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• In this process a mixture of non-
ferromagnetic abrasive and ferromagnetic
iron particles is taken and magnetically
energised using a magnetic field.
• In between the two poles of a magnet, the
workpiece is placed and the working gap
between the workpiece is filled with magnetic
abrasive particles.
• The magnetic abrasive particles join each
other along the line of magnetic force and
form a flexible magnetic abrasive brush
behave like a multipoint cutting tool.
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 Classification of MAF
• Based on type of magnetic field
– Magnetic Abrasive Finishing with permanent
magnet.
– Magnetic Abrasive Finishing with direct current.
– Magnetic Abrasive Finishing with Alternating
current.
• Based on type of work piece
– Lathe based MAF
– Milling based MAF

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 Advantages
• Able to attain wide range of surface
characteristics by careful selection magnetic
particles
• Enhance surface Characteristics such as wet
ability or reducing friction.
• Capability to accessing hard to reach areas.
• Capable of modifying roughness without
altering form.

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• Setup is independent of work piece material: it
can efficiently finish ceramics, stainless steel,
brass, coated carbide and silicon.
• Due to the flexible magnetic abrasive brush, it
can finish any symmetric work piece shape, if
electromagnet designed accordingly.
• It possesses many attractive advantages such as
self-adaptability and controllability.
• The finishing tool requires neither compensation
nor dressing
• The method can finish ferromagnetic materials
but as well as non-ferromagnetic materials.
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 Disadvantages
• It is difficult to implement Magnetic abrasive
finishing in mass production operation.
• Not applicable for some ordinary finishing task
where conventional finishing technique can be
easily implemented.
• Time consuming process.
• The cost of process is high.

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 APPLICATION
• Cutting tools
• Turbine blades
• Air foils
• Optics
• Sanitary pipes
• Food industry
• Capillary tubes, needles, biopsy needles, in
medical field
• Curved pipes
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 Magnetorheological Abrasive Flow
Finishing (MRAFF)
• This finishing process is basically a
combination of abrasive flow machining and
magnetorheological finishing.
• In this process magneto rheological polishing
fluid is used as the medium.
• Polishing fluid is a mixture of carbonyl iron
particles(CIP) and abrasive particles in a base
medium of grease and paraffin fluid

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• When an external magnetic field is applied,
the CIP’s(Carbonyl Iron Particles) in the fluid
form chain like structure along the lines of
magnetic filed in between north and south
poles of the electromagnet.
• When this magnetorheological polishing fluid
is extruded through the passage formed by
the work piece and fixture, it comes to
contact with that work piece surface and the
cutting action is done by shearing off peaks of
surface undulations from the work piece
surface.
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 Magnetic Float Polishing (MFP)
• Due to poor machinability and difficulties
involved in processing, the polishing applications
of advanced ceramics and very limited.
• Ceramics are extremely sensitive to surface
defects resulting from polishing and grinding
processes.
• Due to this reason, gentle and flexible polishing
conditions like low level of controlled forces and
use of abrasive softer than work material are
required
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Magnetic float polishing apparatus

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• Magnetic float polishing (MFP) is a recent
advancement in fine abrasive finishing process. which
involves the use of magnetic filed to support abrasive
slurries in finishing ceramic balls and bearing rollers.
• This technique is based on the ferro-hydrodynamic
behavior of magnetic fluids that can levitate a non-
magnetic float and abrasives suspended in it by
magnetic filed.
• This applied levitation force is proportional to the
magnetic field gradient, which is extremely small and
highly controllable.
• As shown in Figure, the aluminium chamber is filled by
a magnetic fluid which contains fine abrasive grains
and extremely fine ferromagnetic particles in a carrier
fluid such as water or kerosene.
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• Below this chamber. strong electro magnets are
arranged alternately north and south.
• Due to the application of magnetic field, the ferro
fluid is attracted downward towards the area of
higher magnetic field and an upward buoyant
force is exerted on non magnetic material to
push them to the area of lower magnetic field.
• The buoyant force acts on the abrasive grains,
ceramic balls and acrylic float inside the
chamber, which are non magnetic materials and
all are levitated by the magnetic buoyant force.
• The balls are polished by the relative motion
between abrasives and the balls. By this
technique, polishing is done in this process.

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 Advantages
• Higher material removal rate can be obtained
• Smoother surfaces can be obtained.

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Elastic Emission Machining (EEM)

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• This process is widely used because of its ability
to remove material at the atomic level by
mechanical methods and to give completely
mirrored, crystallographically and physically
undisturbed finished surface.
– In this process, a polyurethane ball of 56mm in
diameter is mounted on it shaft driven by a variable
speed motor and the axis of rotation is oriented at an
angle of about 45 relative to the surface of the
workpiece to be polished.
– The workpiece is submerged in the slurry of Al2O3 or
ZrO2 abrasive particles and water.
– Thus material is removed from the workpiece surface
due to the interaction between slurry and workpiece
which involves erosion of the surface atoms by the
bombardment of abrasive particles without the
introduction of dislocations
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 Rapid Prototyping Techniques
• Prototype: Original working model of the
product.
• Prototyping: First stage of manufacturing
• Why RPT?: Traditional methods of fabricating a
prototype (Shaping, forming, machining, etc,)
take a long time depending upon the product
complexity.
• It greatly increases the cost of the product.
• RPT’s are techniques which are developed to
fabricate a prototype in less time and in low cost.

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 Methods of RPT
• Subtractive : by removal of material from a
large work piece.
• Additive : build up a part by the adding
material incrementally.
• Virtual: computer based visualisation

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 Additive RPT
• Additive RPT operations all build parts in layers.
Types:
1. Stereolithography
2. Fused deposition modelling
3. Selective laser sintering
4. 3D printing
5. Laminated object manufacturing
6.Laser engineered net shaping
7.Laser welding
8.LIGA process. 37
 1) stereo-lithography (SLA):
• Based on the principle of curing(hardening) a
liquid photopolymer into a specific shape.

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• When the platform is at highest position,
depth a, the layer of the liquid above the it is
shallow.
• A laser, generating an ultraviolet beam, is now
focused upon a selected surface area of the
photopolymer and then moved in x-y
direction.
• The beam cures that portion of the
photopolymer and thereby produces a solid
body.

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• The platform is then lowered sufficiently to
cover the cured polymer with another layer of
liquid polymer and the sequence is repeated.
• The process is repeated until level b is reached
• At level b, the x-y movements of the beam are
wider, so that we now have a flange shaped
portion that is being produced over the
previously formed part.
• The process is repeated to produce another
cylindrical section between levels b and c.

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2) Fused deposition modelling

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• The materials are deposited in layers as fine as
0.04 mm thick, and the part is built from the
bottom up – one layer at a time.
• FDM works on an "additive" principle by
laying down material in layers.
• A plastic filament or metal wire is unwound
from a coil and supplies material to an
extrusion nozzle which can turn the flow on
and off.

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• The nozzle is heated to melt the material and
can be moved in both horizontal and vertical
directions by a numerically controlled
mechanism, directly controlled by a computer-
aided manufacturing(CAM) software package.
• The model or part is produced by extruding
small beads of thermoplastic material to form
layers as the material hardens immediately
after extrusion from the nozzle.
• Stepper motors or servo motor are typically
employed to move the extrusion head.
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3) Selective laser sintering (SLS)

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• SLS is based on the sintering of non metallic
powders selectively into an individual object.
• A thin layer of powder is first deposited in the
part build cylinder.
• A laser beam, guided by a process control
computer using instructions generated by the
3D CAD programme of the desired part, is
then focused on that layer, tracing and
sintering a particular cross section into a solid
mass.
• The powder in other areas remain loose.
• it supports the sintered portion.
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• Another layer of powder is then deposited
and sintered.
• This process cycle repeated until the entire 3D
part is produced.
• The loose particles are then shaken off, and
the part is recovered.

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Materials used :
– Polymers (PVC, ABS, Nylon, Polyester, epoxy,
etc,…)
– Wax
– Metals
– Ceramics
• Binders are used

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4) Laminated object
manufacturing(LOM)

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• LOM uses layers of paper or plastic sheets with a
heat activated glue on one side to produce parts.
• The desired shapes are burned into the sheet
with a laser, and the parts are built layer by layer.
• To form an object, a heated roller is passed over
the sheet of material on the build platform,
melting its adhesive and pressing it onto the
platform.
• A computer-controlled laser or blade then cuts
the material into the desired pattern.
• The laser also slices up any excess material in a
crosshatch pattern, making it easier to remove
once the object is fully printed.
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• Non-part areas are cross-hatched lo facilitate
removal of waste material.
• Once the laser cutting is complete, the
platform moves down and out of the way so
that fresh sheet material can be rolled into
position.
• Once new material is in position, the platform
moves back up to one layer below its previous
position.
• The process can now be repeated.

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 5) 3D Printing
• A print head deposits an inorganic binder
material to the powder material.
• The binder is directed on to a layer of ceramic
or metal powder

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6) Laser Engineered Net Shaping
(LENS)

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• Direct metal RPT
• In this process also layer additive method is
used.
• Raw material in the powdered form is
supplied through the metallic tubes provided
at the circumference of the head.
• either gravity or pressurised gas is used to
supply the metal powder.
• A high power laser(ND-YAG) is used to melt
the stream of metal powder.
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• The melted powder is then deposited on the
fabrication table.
• The table is moved along X-Y direction and the
head is moved up vertically(as each layer is
completed) to fabricate the object.
Specifications:
Dimensional accuracy : +/- 0.020 inches
Layer thickness: 0.001 - 0.040 inches
Deposition width: 0.01 – 0.1 inches
Build rate: 1 cubic inches/hr
Floor space required for the machine: 80 square
feet
Laser chilling unit: to cool the head
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 Applications
• Repair of existing hardware
• RPT
• Rapid manufacturing
• Medical field
• Defense
• It can produce parts from wide range of
metals and alloys

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 Advantages
• Can fabricate strong functional hardware rapidly.
• No post heat treatments are required for the
parts produced by LENS machine
Disadvantages:
• Rough surface finish
• Low dimensional accuracy
• polishing or finishing is required
• Overhangs require support structures

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• Uses an intense beam of laser to generate
heat to weld the parts.
• It consists of
– Power source
– Flash lamp filled with xenon
– Lasing material
– Focusing lens mechanism
– Work table

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7) Laser Beam Welding

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 Advantages
• Wide variety of metals can be welded
• Thermal damage is minimum
• Weld metal is purified
• Good ductility and mechanical pproperties
• Vacuum tight welds
• Filler material is not used

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 limitations
• Low welding speed
• Limited to thickness of 1.5 mm
• Materials like Mg cannot be welded
Applications:
High precision welding
Welding of dissimilar metals
Micro welding

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8) LIGA Process

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• LIGA is the german acronym for lithography,
electroplating and moulding (Lithographie,
Galvanik und Abformung)
• Used to manufacture microstructure
• Three steps of LIGA
– Lithography
– Electro-forming or electroplating
– Molding

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• PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate) is deposited
on a primary substrate.
• PMMA is exposed to X-Ray and is developed
• Metal is electrodeposited onto the primary
substrate.
• PMMA is removed to get the metal structure

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 Applications
• sensors and actuators
• Micro lenses
• Mirrors and filters

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