Mechanical machining and metrology at micro/nano scale

Micro-scale machining performed in a mechanical manner is an ultra-precision material removal process to achieve micron form accuracy and a few nanometer finish. It has gained increasing importance in the manufacture of optical, mechanical, biomedical, and electronic components with intricate details in many industry and consumer products, both as a means to produce final products and to create dies and molds for further mass production. The backbone of science and technology for the success of machining at such fine length scales hinges on the understanding of microstructual machining mechanics, precision control of machine tool motions, miniaturization of cutters, miniaturization of machine tools, and the availability of high resolution metrology. This paper examines a number of recent research developments at Georgia Tech in these areas. On microstructual mechanics, cutting at submicron depth to control brittle-ductile transition of material will be discussed. On precision machine control, compensation of micrometer multitooth runout error through the chip load servo will be illustrated. On cutter miniaturization, the concept of magnetic single-grit abrasive as a micro cutting tool for submicron dimensional accuracy will be presented. On machine tool miniaturization, the downsizing of machining center and its associated benefits on precision will be elaborated. On metrology, a micro laser-based system and acoustic emission systems are presented for the measurement of micro cutting tool locations. The presentation of these topics will focus on the underlying fundamentals of fine scale machining and their implications toward ultra-precision engineering and micro/nano manufacturing.