Milling is a commonly used machining process where a rotating cutter removes material from the workpiece. In recent years, attention has been turned towards so called dynamic milling methods which differ from the conventional way of milling. Dynamic milling normally uses, as opposed to the conventional way, more of the axial cutting edge, smaller radial depth of cut, significantly higher cutting speed and feed per tooth. The method has demonstrated potential to save both time and money under specific circumstances, for manufacturing companies.This thesis was conducted at ISCAR Sverige AB in Uppsala, Sweden. ISCAR Metalworking is a full service supplier of carbide cutting tools. The objective is to establish if there are benefits with dynamic milling methods with regard to material removal rate and lifetime of the tool by experimentally investigating and comparing tool wear that occur with conventional- and dynamic milling methods in hardened steels. Tools used were ISCAR’s MULTI-MASTER end mills, MM A and MM B, and the hardened steels were Hardox 600 and Dievar. Analysis was performed by using a USB-microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and a Wyko-profilometer. The results of this study show that dynamic milling parameters can give several benefits regarding tool life and material removal rate. When machining in Hardox 600 and Dievar, both end mills were able to achieve a higher material removal rate and lifetime with dynamic parameters compared to more conventional ones. MM A outperformed MM B in Dievar, but the results were reversed in Hardox, MM B performed better. Results from the profilometry analysis showed that in Dievar, the dynamic parameters generated a smoother surface while the surface results from Hardox were more equivocal. The main conclusion was that milling with dynamic parameters is generally more advantageous and should be utilised, if possible.

Using the envelope theory, the mathematical model of the end face profile and the working tool path of a special optical fiber polishing machine is deve- loped in this study. During the polishing process, the polisher is controlled by three parameters including the fiber rotational angle, the height H and the angle between the fiber and polisher. The contact points between the optical fiber and the polishing plate will determine the profile of the fiber end face. The 3-D end face with double-variable curvatures can be fabricated by properly controlling these three parameters. Since the grinding (polishing) material removal rate is related to machining time and normal contact force, the grinding (polishing) tool path and parameters are needed some modification in order to get the precise end profiles. Example of fiber end faces of 2-D elliptical face and 3-D ellipsoid are given to check the developed mathematical model in this study by computer solid modeling.

Dans le cas des pièces aéronautiques de grandes dimensions et de formes complexes nécessitant un bon état de surface, les opérations de polissage sont la plupart du temps réalisées manuellement par des opérateurs spécialisés. Ces opérations étant longues, pénibles et coûteuses, il paraît pertinent de s’intéresser à leur automatisation. Dans ces travaux de thèse, nous nous intéressons à la mise en place d’un processus de polissage robotisé pour un train d'atterrissage en acier à haute résistance. La définition du processus robotisé passe par la définition des outils adéquats (taille de grain, forme et souplesse), des conditions de polissage (effort, vitesse de coupe, vitesse d’avance, angle de dépinçage et recouvrement) et le réglage des paramètres de la commande en effort en fonction du matériau à polir et de la spécification de rugosité visée. Un modèle d’enlèvement de matière est ensuite proposé afin de maîtriser le défaut d’état de surface généré pour des outils « disques ». Une campagne expérimentale permet enfin de valider la mise en œuvre du robot et du processus de polissage sur une pièce spécifique, notamment en ce qui concerne la chaîne numérique. / In the case of aircraft large parts and complex shapes requiring a good finish state, polishing operations are mostly performed manually by specialized operators. These operations are long, painful and expensive, it seems relevant to be interested in their automation. In the thesis work, we focus on the development of a robotic polishing process for high strength steel landing gear. The definition of the robotic process involves the definition of appropriate tools (grain size, shape and flexibility), polishing conditions (force, cutting speed, feed rate, inclination angle and overlap) and adjustment of parameters the force control based on the material to be polished and the specification roughness. A material removal model is then proposed to control the surface state generated for discs tools. Finally, an experimental campaign validates the implementation of the robot and the polishing process on a specific part, in particular as regards the numerical chain.

To achieve efficient planarization with reduced device dimensions in integrated circuits, a better understanding of the physics, chemistry, and the complex interplay involved in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is needed. The CMP process takes place at the interface of the pad and wafer in the presence of the fluid slurry medium. The hardness of Cu is significantly less than the slurry abrasive particles which are usually alumina or silica. It has been accepted that a surface layer can protect the Cu surface from scratching during CMP. Four competing mechanisms in materials removal have been reported: the chemical dissolution of Cu, the mechanical removal through slurry abrasives, the formation of thin layer of Cu oxide and the sweeping surface material by slurry flow. Despite the previous investigation of Cu removal, the electrochemical properties of Cu surface layer is yet to be understood. The motivation of this research was to understand the fundamental aspects of removal mechanisms in terms of electrochemical interactions, chemical dissolution, mechanical wear, and factors affecting planarization. Since one of the major requirements in CMP is to have a high surface finish, i.e., low surface roughness, optimization of the surface finish in reference to various parameters was emphasized. Three approaches were used in this research: in situ measurement of material removal, exploration of the electropotential activation and passivation at the copper surface and modeling of the synergistic electrochemical-mechanical interactions on the copper surface. In this research, copper polishing experiments were conducted using a table top tribometer. A potentiostat was coupled with this tribometer. This combination enabled the evaluation of important variables such as applied pressure, polishing speed, slurry chemistry, pH, materials, and applied DC potential. Experiments were designed to understand the combined and individual effect of electrochemical interactions as well as mechanical impact during polishing. Extensive surface characterization was performed with AFM, SEM, TEM and XPS. An innovative method for direct material removal measurement on the nanometer scale was developed and used. Experimental observations were compared with the theoretically calculated material removal rate values. The synergistic effect of all of the components of the process, which result in a better quality surface finish was quantitatively evaluated for the first time. Impressed potential during CMP proved to be a controlling parameter in the material removal mechanism. Using the experimental results, a model was developed, which provided a practical insight into the CMP process. The research is expected to help with electrochemical material removal in copper planarization with low-k dielectrics.

Mechanical grinding process is the most popular way to fabricate the fiber micro lenses, although there are some other methods, such as chemical etching, laser machining and focused ion beam micro-cutting. Mechanical grinding has its uniqueness in grinding Conical-Wedge-Shaped Fiber Endface, fiber endface with polygon-cone-shape, and fiber endface with double-variable curvatures. The double-variable curvatures fiber endface polisher, designed and manufactured by Mechanism Design Lab of NSYSU, is employed in this study. The normal force of the fiber endface is derived firstly and then the experimental parameters and data are substituted into the material removal rate (M.R.R.) formula to obtain M.R.R. and the Preston¡¦s constant K. The process parameters of the feed rate and polishing time on the fabrication of the fiber endface are analyzed. The polisher is calibrated and adjusted to improve the precision of the optical-fiber endface. A fiber endface with double-variable curvature is successfully fabricated in a single grinding process by properly controlling the fiber rotation angle, inclining angle, and the distant between the endface and the grinding film simultaneously. The grinding process developed in this study can be applied for fabricating optical fiber lenses in fiber optics communication as well as different types of micro probes, and micro spectroscopefors in other applications.

To achieve efficient planarization with reduced device dimensions in integrated circuits, a better understanding of the physics, chemistry, and the complex interplay involved in chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) is needed. The CMP process takes place at the interface of the pad and wafer in the presence of the fluid slurry medium. The hardness of Cu is significantly less than the slurry abrasive particles which are usually alumina or silica. It has been accepted that a surface layer can protect the Cu surface from scratching during CMP. Four competing mechanisms in materials removal have been reported: the chemical dissolution of Cu, the mechanical removal through slurry abrasives, the formation of thin layer of Cu oxide and the sweeping surface material by slurry flow. Despite the previous investigation of Cu removal, the electrochemical properties of Cu surface layer is yet to be understood. The motivation of this research was to understand the fundamental aspects of removal mechanisms in terms of electrochemical interactions, chemical dissolution, mechanical wear, and factors affecting planarization. Since one of the major requirements in CMP is to have a high surface finish, i.e., low surface roughness, optimization of the surface finish in reference to various parameters was emphasized. Three approaches were used in this research: in situ measurement of material removal, exploration of the electropotential activation and passivation at the copper surface and modeling of the synergistic electrochemical-mechanical interactions on the copper surface. In this research, copper polishing experiments were conducted using a table top tribometer. A potentiostat was coupled with this tribometer. This combination enabled the evaluation of important variables such as applied pressure, polishing speed, slurry chemistry, pH, materials, and applied DC potential. Experiments were designed to understand the combined and individual effect of electrochemical interactions as well as mechanical impact during polishing. Extensive surface characterization was performed with AFM, SEM, TEM and XPS. An innovative method for direct material removal measurement on the nanometer scale was developed and used. Experimental observations were compared with the theoretically calculated material removal rate values. The synergistic effect of all of the components of the process, which result in a better quality surface finish was quantitatively evaluated for the first time. Impressed potential during CMP proved to be a controlling parameter in the material removal mechanism. Using the experimental results, a model was developed, which provided a practical insight into the CMP process. The research is expected to help with electrochemical material removal in copper planarization with low-k dielectrics.

To survive in today's manufacturing environments companies must push the standards of accuracy and speed to the highest levels possible. Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) has been used for over 50 years and recent developments have seen the use of EDM become much more viable. The goal of this research is to produce and evaluate electrodes produced by different manufacturing methods. The use of electroforming and spray-metal deposition has only recently become viable methods of producing usable rapid tooling components. The speed and accuracy as well as the cost of manufacture play a vital role in the tool and mould manufacturing process. Electroforming and spray-metal deposition offer an alternate option to traditional machining of electrodes. Electroforming is one method of producing electrodes for EDM. The fact that electroforming can be used to produce multiple electrodes simultaneously gives it the advantage of saving on costs when multiple electrodes are needed. Spray-metal deposition offers another alternative that is much cheaper and relatively faster to manufacture. The used of these non-traditional manufacturing methods in this research are compared to the performance of traditional solid electrodes in terms of machining time, material removal rate, tool wear rates and surface roughness at several standard machining settings. The results of this research are presented in this thesis along with conclusions and comments on the performance of the different methods of electrode manufacture. The major findings of the research include the solid electrodes performed better than the electroformed electrodes in Material Removal Rate (MRR), Tool Wear Rate (TWR), and Surface Roughness (Ra) at all machine settings. However it was found that the production cost of the solid electrodes was six times that of the electroformed electrodes. The production of spray metal electrodes was unsuccessful. The electrode shell walls were not an even thickness and the backing material broke through the shell making them unusable. It is concluded that with further refinements and research, electroforming and spray metal processes will become an extremely competitive method in electrode manufacture and other rapid tooling processes.

Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM) is a nontraditional machining process used for machining intricate shapes in high strength and temperature resistive (HSTR) materials. WEDM provides high accuracy, repeatability, and a better surface finish; however the tradeoff is a very slow machining rate. Due to the slow machining rate in WEDM, machining tasks take many hours depending on the complexity of the job. Because of this, users of WEDM try to predict machining rate beforehand so that input parameter values can be pre-programmed to achieve automated machining. However, partial success with traditional methodologies such as thermal modeling, artificial neural networks, mathematical, statistical, and empirical models left this problem still open for further research and exploration of alternative methods. Also, earlier efforts in applying the decision tree rule induction algorithms for predicting the machining rate in WEDM had limitations such as use of coarse grained method of discretizing the target and exploration of only C4.5 as the learning algorithm. The goal of this dissertation was to address the limitations reported in literature in using decision tree rule induction algorithms for WEDM. In this study, the three decision tree inductive algorithms C5.0, CART and CHAID have been applied for predicting material removal rate when the target was discretized into varied number of classes (two, three, four, and five classes) by three discretization methods. There were a total of 36 distinct combinations when learning algorithms, discretization methods, and number of classes in the target are combined. All of these 36 models have been developed and evaluated based on the prediction accuracy. From this research, a total of 21 models found to be suitable for WEDM that have prediction accuracy ranging from 71.43% through 100%. The models indentified in the current study not only achieved better prediction accuracy compared to previous studies, but also allows the users to have much better control over WEDM than what was previously possible. Application of inductive learning and development of suitable predictive models for WEDM by incorporating varied number of classes in the target, different learning algorithms, and different discretization methods have been the major contribution of this research.

La réalisation de formes complexes comme les moules ou les prothèses médicales nécessite l’utilisation d’opérations de super finition pour obtenir de faibles défauts géométriques, pouvant aller jusqu’au poli-miroir. Ces opérations de pré-polissage et de polissage sont encore régulièrement réalisées manuellement. En effet, malgré des avantages en termes de répétabilité, de productivité et de qualité géométrique, les méthodes de polissage automatique sont peu utilisées car elles nécessitent une mise au point importante. Les travaux de recherche présentés participent à la maîtrise du procédé de polissage automatique tout en contrôlant la qualité géométrique des pièces. Pour parvenir à cette maîtrise, un outil de simulation de l’enlèvement de matière est mis en place. Cet outil permet de simuler l’enlèvement de matière au cours d’une opération de prépolissage réalisée sur centre d’usinage 5 axes. Il se base sur un modèle du contact obtenu entre l’outil de pré-polissage et la pièce, ainsi que sur un modèle du pouvoir abrasif intégrant l’usure et l’encrassement du disque. Cette simulation permet de vérifier la régularité de l’abrasion sur une surface et d’identifier les zones pouvant faire apparaitre des défauts macro-géométriques importants. Une méthode est également proposée pour compenser les variations du pouvoir abrasif au cours du temps. La compensation s’effectue en optimisant les consignes de vitesse d’avance et/ou de fréquence de broche le long de la trajectoire. Cette méthode de pilotage permet d’obtenir un taux d’enlèvement de matière plus constant et ainsi de réduire les défauts géométriques générés pendant une opération de prépolissage. / Complex shapes such as medical implants or injection molds require the use of super-finishing operations to minimize geometrical defects, down to mirror effect finish. These pre-polishing and polishing operations are still regularly performed manually by skilled workers. In spite of advantages in terms of repeatability, productivity and geometrical quality, automatic polishing methods are not widely used because they require systematic and significant developments. The present work contributes to enhance the automatic polishing process compared to the geometric quality of the parts. To achieve this control, a numerical simulation of material removal is implemented. This software simulates the material removal during a pre-polishing operation performed on 5-axis machining center. It is based on a contact model obtained between the pre-polishing tool and the part, as well as an abrasive model including wear of the disc. This simulation allows to check the uniformity of the material removal on the surface and to identify potential areas where macro-geometric defects appear. A method is also proposed to balance variations of the abrasive efficiency. The correction is performed by optimizing the federate and/or the spindle speed along the tool path. This method provides a constant material removal and reduces the geometrical deviations generated during pre-polishing operations.

La thèse concerne l’usinage à 5 axes de formes complexes. Le but est d’estimer le plus précisément possible les efforts induits par la coupe pour ajuster la vitesse d’avance et gagner en performance. Pour cela, il est nécessaire d’estimer les engagements radial et axial de la fraise à chaque instant. Ce calcul est rendu particulièrement complexe à cause de la forme de la pièce, de la forme du brut et de la complexité de la géométrie de l’outil. Les méthodes usuelles par Zbuffer sont particulièrement couteuses en temps de calcul. Dans ces travaux nous proposons une méthode de calcul rapide à partir d’une modélisation du contact dans toutes les situations envisageables. Différentes simulations et expérimentations ont permis de valider la précision expérimentalement. / This study presents a simple method to define the Cutter Workpiece Engagement (CWE) during sculptured surface machining in five-axis milling. The instantaneous CWE was defined by determining two engagement points, lowermost engagement (LE)-point and uppermost engagement (UE)-point. LE-point was calculated using a method called grazing method. Meanwhile the UE-point was calculated using a combination of discretization and analytical method. During rough milling and semi-finish milling, the workpiece surface was represented by vertical vector. The method called Toroidal–boundary was employed to obtain the UE-point when it was located on cutting tool at toroidal side. On the other hand, the method called Cylindrical-boundary was used to calculate the UE-point for flat-end cutter and cylindrical side of toroidal cutter. For a free-form workpiece surface, a hybrid method, which is a combination of analytical method and discrete method, was used. All the CWE models proposed in this study were verified and the results proved that the proposed method were accurate. The efficiency of the proposed model in generating CWE was also compared with Z-mapping method. The result confirmed that the proposed model was more efficient in term of computational time. The CWE model was also applied for supporting the method to predict cutting forces. The test results showed that the predicted cutting force has a good agreement with the cutting force generated from the experimental work.