The present study investigated the effect of dilute polymer solutions on the size, shape, and roughness of channels and holes, machined in metal and glass using a novel abrasive slurry-jet micro-machining (ASJM) apparatus. The apparatus consisted of a slurry pump and a pulsation damper connected to an open reservoir tank to generate a 140-micron turbulent jet containing 1 wt% 10-micron alumina particles. With the addition of 50 wppm of 8-M (million) molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEO), the widths of the channels and diameters of holes machined in glass decreased by an average amount of 25%. These changes were accompanied by approximately a 20% decrease in depth and more V-shaped profiles compared with the U-shape of the reference channels and holes machined without additives. The present results demonstrate that a small amount of a high-molecular-weight polymer can significantly decrease the size of machined channels and holes for a given jet diameter.

The present study investigated the effect of dilute polymer solutions on the size, shape, and roughness of channels and holes, machined in metal and glass using a novel abrasive slurry-jet micro-machining (ASJM) apparatus. The apparatus consisted of a slurry pump and a pulsation damper connected to an open reservoir tank to generate a 140-micron turbulent jet containing 1 wt% 10-micron alumina particles. With the addition of 50 wppm of 8-M (million) molecular weight polyethylene oxide (PEO), the widths of the channels and diameters of holes machined in glass decreased by an average amount of 25%. These changes were accompanied by approximately a 20% decrease in depth and more V-shaped profiles compared with the U-shape of the reference channels and holes machined without additives. The present results demonstrate that a small amount of a high-molecular-weight polymer can significantly decrease the size of machined channels and holes for a given jet diameter.