A comprehensive experimental investigation into vibration-assisted micro-milling of monocrystalline silicon

This study presents an experimental investigation of vibration-assisted machining (VAM) techniques for monocrystalline silicon. The author introduces a novel high-frequency two-dimensional vibration-assisted machining system which is used to conduct slot milling experiments using ultrasonic high-frequency. For comparison, a low-frequency non-resonant vibration-assisted machining system is also used in the experiments. The effects of machining parameters, including feedrate, cutting speeds, and vibration parameters, including vibration modes and amplitudes, on the machining performance are thoroughly investigated. The surface roughness, edge chipping generation, and tool wear under various machining conditions are characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that, under specific machining and vibration parameters, a nanometric surface roughness (Ra) can be achieved. The ultrasonic vibration-assisted micro-milling (UVAMM) system is found to offer better surface quality, improved edge quality, and reduced tool wear. This study demonstrates that vibration-assisted micro-milling is a valuable technique for producing silicon components at scales ranging from a few microns with a nanometric surface finish with an improvement of 144 % compared to Conventional Machining (CM). The proposed 2D UVAMM system in this paper also provides valuable insight into the direction for utilizing 2D vibration-assisted machining systems to achieve superior machining results.