Magnetic field-assisted finishing: mechanism, application, and outlook

Magnetic field-assisted finishing (MFAF) technology, as a non-traditional surface finishing technology, has a unique advantage in machining components composed of complex shapes and difficult-to-process materials and has been widely concerned. To date, more than thirty MFAF technologies have been developed; however, there has not been a detailed study to classify these technologies and compare and contrast the advantages and limitations of these technologies. Therefore, in order to promote the development of MFAF technology, MFAF technology is reviewed in detail in this study. This paper introduces the origin and development of MFAF technology and proposes a classification method based on media. On this basis, the differences of wear mechanisms and the action mechanism of composite processing are discussed, the representative MFAF techniques are overviewed, and the commonly used material removal models of MFAF techniques are summarized. Finally, the possible research directions of MFAF process in the future are described. This paper has important reference value for researchers in the field of ultra-precision machining.