Development of three-axis desktop milling machine

Abstract

With a trend toward miniaturization, miniaturized machine tools turn to be more and more reasonable than conventional machine tools in fabricating scaled-down work parts with better quality, higher efficiency, and less expense. In the past 20years, various miniaturized machine tools have been developed. For the purpose of studying machine tool miniaturization technology and micromachining mechanism, a three-axis desktop milling machine tool is presented in this article. Typical microfeatures such as microgears, microthin walls, and microelectrode made from copper alloy or aluminum alloy have been machined by end milling tools in diameters of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4mm. Meanwhile, the profile and roughness of these microstructures are also analysed. By these experiments, the machining performance of this three-axis desktop milling machine tool in aspect of three-dimensional complex microstructures is demonstrated.