Micro milling of Aluminum alloy using CNC milling machine

2011

In this age of miniaturization, the dimensions produced are becoming very small up to micro and nano levels. Surface roughness and material removal rate are given in terms of atomic sizes, i.e. surface roughness in nm unit and material removal rate in terms of number of atoms per unit time. In this paper different micro and nano fabrication processes are discussed with processing parameters. Energy required to remove nano level of material is larger than conventional material removal techniques. This paper presents an overview on micro nano machining techniques.

MATEC Web of Conferences, 2018

With the trend towards miniaturization, micromachining become more and more important in fabricating micro parts. The micromachining process that involved in this study is micro milling. The focus of the study is on the comparison performance between various numbers of flutes (4-flutes, 6-flutes and 8-flutes) with various helix angle (25º,30º and 35º) in micro end milling tool geometry with the conventional micro end milling, 2-flutes micro end milling. Cemented carbide is the material that been used for this study. The main problem about the two flutes micro end milling is it easily wears in a short time. In this study, finite element analysis of the model using cantilever beam principle theory. The tools will be modelled and simulate using Abaqus/CAE 6.10. The tool performance of the designed tool will be evaluated by using the maximum principal stress, σ_max. According to the analysis, weakest geometry is 2-flutes micro end milling and the strongest is 8-flutes micro end milling. 8-flutes micro end milling can be the option to replace the conventional micro end milling.

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 2006

Micromilling of metal structures with 'thin' features represents a major challenge towards broadening the use of this technology in a range of microengineering applications, for example in producing multi-channel microstructures, housing for mechanical microdevices, and surgical instruments. The most common thin features seen in microengineering products are ribs and webs.

Proceedings on Engineering Sciences

Development of micro-devices parts is intensified with developments in medical device and energetic industry. In production of micro-parts (micro-pump, micro-gears, micro-manipulators, etc.), a wide range of engineering materials is encountered. Strict requirements are set in terms of characteristic of micro-parts machined surfaces, such are low surface roughness, advanced tribological characteristic, etc. In this paper is analysed possibilities of different metallic materials mechanical micro-machining. The analysis includes the analysis of the generating and characteristics of the machined surfaces, and influence of a whole set of parameters on surface characteristic. The results showed the benefits of mechanical micromachining and proved that it can achieve satisfactory results of the surface characteristics indicators.

Micro-milling of metal structures with "thin" features represents a major challenge towards broadening the use of this technology in a range of micro-engineering applications, for example in producing multi-channel micro-structures, housings for mechanical micro-devices and surgical instruments. The most common thin features seen in micro- engineering products are ribs and webs. This research identifies the main factors affecting the reliability of micro-milling technology when employed for the machining of micro-components incorporating thin features. The general principles that should be followed in designing machining strategies for such features are discussed in the paper. Taking these general principles into account, new strategies are proposed to reduce the negative effects of identified factors on part quality and at the same time to overcome some of the problems associated with the use of conventional machining strategies for micro- milling of ribs and webs. To imp...

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 2020

Micro-milling is a micro-mechanical cutting method used to obtain complex and three-dimensional micro geometries. Micro-cutting tools are used in the manufacturing of micro-components and the type of workpiece is also important for good surface quality and minimum burr. In this study, micro machinability of Ti6Al4V alloy which is used most frequently in micro-component production is compared with Ti5553 alloy. Micro-milling of Ti5553 alloy and comparison of the minimum chip thickness with Ti6Al4V were performed for the first time in this study. Using different cutting parameters, the variation of surface roughness, burr width, and cutting forces were investigated. The cutting tests were carried out on a specially designed and high-precision micro-milling test system using a TiCN-coated two-flute end mill of 0.6 mm diameter. According to the results, minimum chip thickness is approximately 0.3 times the edge radius of the cutting tool and does not vary with the alloy type. At feed ra...

Tehnicki Vjesnik-technical Gazette, 2014

Original scientific paper The customer ́s growing demand for higher quality products has forced manufacturing industry to continuously progress in quality control and machining technologies. One of the fundamental metal cutting processes is milling. The aim of this study is to investigate optimum cutting parameters of AlMgSi alloy (EN-AW 6060), which is one of the most commonly used aluminium alloys, using uncoated cemented carbide end mills. The influence of tool geometry (helix angle) and cutting conditions (cutting velocity, and feed rate) on the surface finish produced during high speed milling of aluminium alloy have been investigated. The significance of the parameters on surface roughness has been established with analysis of variance (ANOVA). The cutting parameters regarding surface roughness performance indexes are analysed, and the findings are discussed and evaluated.

Facta Universitatis, Series: Mechanical Engineering

In this paper the performances, i.e. cutting force, moment and surface roughness, in the end milling of aluminum 6082-T6 with solid carbide end mill were measured and analyzed for different values of the cutting parameters: number of revolutions, feed rate and depth of cut. The cutting force and moment were measured using a Kistler piezoelectric dynamometer. Surface roughness was measured using a Mahr profilometer. The results were analyzed in the Minitab 17 software package, in order to determine the influence of the given factors on the performances and modeling of the milling process.

Technium: Romanian Journal of Applied Sciences and Technology, 2021

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of feed rate and depth of cut on the surface roughness of Al-Mg aluminum using a DIY CNC Milling Machine and Krisbow Universal Milling Machine as a comparison. The open-loop control system is a control system used in the design of DIY CNC Milling machines. A PC with Mach3 software is used as a PC Based Direct Digital Controller to control the system. In this study, the feed rate variation 24 mm/minute and 42 mm/minute and depth of cut 0.25 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.75 mm were used. After the face milling process, the surface roughness test was carried out using the Mitoyo Surface Roughness Tester to determine the level of surface roughness of the machining results the DIY Milling Machine and Krisbow Universal Milling Machine as a comparison. The results showed that as the feed rate and depth of cut increased, the surface roughness values of both tools increased.

Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 2012

Micro mechanical machining operations can fabricate miniaturized components from a wide range of engineering materials; however, there are several challenges during the operations that can cause dimensional inaccuracies and low productivity. In order to select optimal machining parameters, the material removal behavior during micro machining operations needs to be understood and implemented in models. The presence of the tool edge radius in micro machining, which is comparable in size to the uncut chip thickness, introduces a minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT) under which the material is not removed but ploughed, resulting in increased machining forces that affect the surface integrity of the workpiece. This paper investigates the MUCT of rounded-edge tools. Analytical models based on identifying the stagnant point of the workpiece material during the machining have been proposed. Based on the models, the MUCT is found to be functions of the edge radius and friction coefficient, which is dependent on the tool geometry and properties of the workpiece material. The necessary parameters for the model are obtained experimentally from orthogonal cutting tests using a rounded-edge tool. The minimum uncut chip thickness (MUCT) is then verified with experimental tests using an aluminum workpiece.

Procedia Technology, 2016

Ordered array of dots or grooves induces special functionality to the surface. Two types of textures viz. linear (perpendicular to the chip flow direction) and square were developed on plain WC inserts using focused ion beam machining. The inserts were coated with MoS 2 solid lubricants using pulsed DC magnetron sputtering. Dry turning tests were carried out on aluminum alloy (Al 6063) work material. Textured tools are found to be more effective in reducing the cutting forces and sticking behaviour of the work material as compared to the non-textured tools. The novel square textured tools performed better than the linear textured tools in terms of reduced cutting forces and improved surface finish. A reduction of about 30% in cutting forces was observed with square textured tools and that with the linear textured tools was about 20% as compared to the non-textured tools. The reduction in cutting forces and the associated change in sticking behaviour are attributed to the reduction in tool-chip contact area and reduced friction at the tool-chip interface owing to the improved lubrication provided by the interlayer of solid lubricant. Textures are functioning as reservoirs of the solid lubricant which in turn reduces the friction at the chip-tool interface.

Advances in Manufacturing, 2020

Micro-milling is a precision manufacturing process with broad applications across the biomedical, electronics, aerospace, and aeronautical industries owing to its versatility, capability, economy, and efficiency in a wide range of materials. In particular, the micro-milling process is highly suitable for very precise and accurate machining of mold prototypes with high aspect ratios in the microdomain, as well as for rapid micro-texturing and micro-patterning, which will have great importance in the near future in bio-implant manufacturing. This is particularly true for machining of typical difficult-to-machine materials commonly found in both the mold and orthopedic implant industries. However, inherent physical process constraints of machining arise as macro-milling is scaled down to the microdomain. This leads to some physical phenomena during micro-milling such as chip formation, size effect, and process instabilities. These dynamic physical process phenomena are introduced and d...

2014

The miniaturization of devices has been under high demand since they offer added benefits such as high mobility and portability, better accessibility and functionality, and lower energy consumption. Specific applications include energy devices such as heat sinks and exchangers, biomedical devices such as microfluidic devices, microneedles, and implants, automotive and aircraft components, and sensory devices. As the demand to produce such miniature products continue to increase, an imminent need for advanced manufacturing processes that can fabricate very small parts directly, cost effectively, and with high productivity arises. Micro-end milling is one of the most promising manufacturing processes capable of fabricating discrete parts with complex features in micro-scale (feature size < 1000 µm) due to its high flexibility for processing a wide range of materials with a low setup cost. However, micro-end milling process possesses several difficulties in precision fabrication of such products due to size effect, rapid tool wear, burr formation, tool and workpiece deflection, and premature tool breakage. In addition, these micro-products require tighter geometrical tolerances and iii better surface quality. These difficulties and requirements make the selection of process parameters for high performance micro-end milling very challenging. In this research, we conducted experimental and numerical modeling studies and multi-objective process optimization for micro-end milling. An extensive study of process parameters such as tool coatings, cutting velocity, feed rate, and axial depth of cut was performed in order to understand the effects of these parameters on the performance of micro-end milling process. Novel finite element based process models in 2-D and 3-D have been developed. Both experimental models and finite element based process simulations were utilized to construct various predictive models for the process outputs. These predictive models include physics-based outputs such as chip deformations, tool forces and temperatures, tool wear rate and depth, as well as performance related measures such as surface finish, burr formation, and tool life. Furthermore, we developed a comprehensive decision support system by using the predictive models which can facilitate a selection of process parameters and toolpath strategies based on desired performances. Multi-objective optimization studies were conducted by utilizing predictive models for obtaining optimal decision variable sets. Moreover, this research also demonstrates the current capabilities of micro-end milling in fabricating micro-products such as heat sinks in brass and implants in titanium alloys, and micro-needles in polymers.

Association of Arab Universities Journal of Engineering Sciences, 2019

The objective of this work is to investigate the affecting variables of milling process to optimize surface roughness and material removal rate during machining of 7024 Al-alloy. The machining operation is implemented on C-TEK CNC milling machine. The effects of the selected parameters on the chosen characteristics have been accomplished using Taguchi's parameter design approach; also ANOVA is used to evaluate the contribution of each parameter on the process outputs. Different feed rates are studied ranging from (60, 80 and 100) mm/min. It is found that high feed rates give a high material removal rates and good surface roughness. On the other hand, it is found that a higher spindle speeds gives better surface roughness with a little effect on material removal rate MRR. The process results showed that maximum MRR achieved (2.40) mm3/min when machining feed rate (100) mm/min, spindle speed (1000) r.p.m, and depth of cut (0.6) mm. While good surface roughness (0.41 µm) is obtained when machining feed rate was (100) mm/min, spindle speed (1000) r.p.m, and depth of cut (0.2) mm. The level of importance of the machining parameters for material removal rate and surface roughness is determined by using Taguchi designing experiments and the variance analysis (ANOVA).