Micromachining of Biolox Forte Ceramic Utilizing Combined Laser/Ultrasonic Processes.

Basem M A Abdo,Abdualziz El-Tamimi,Syed Hammad Mian,Khaja Moiduddin,Hisham Alkhalefah

doi:10.3390/ma13163505

Abstract

Micromachining has gained considerable interest across a wide range of applications. It ensures the production of microfeatures such as microchannels, micropockets, etc. Typically, the manufacturing of microchannels in bioceramics is a demanding task. The ubiquitous technologies, laser beam machining (LBM) and rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM), have tremendous potential. However, again, these machining methods do have inherent problems. LBM has issues concerning thermal damage, high surface roughness, and vulnerable dimensional accuracy. Likewise, RUM is associated with high machining costs and low material-removal rates. To overcome their limits, a synthesis of LBM and RUM processes known as laser rotary ultrasonic machining (LRUM) has been conceived. The bioceramic known as biolox forte was utilized in this investigation. The approach encompasses the exploratory study of the effects of fundamental input process parameters of LBM and RUM on the surface quality, machining time, and dimensional accuracy of the manufactured microchannels. The performance of LRUM was analyzed and the mechanism of LRUM tool wear was also investigated. The results revealed that the surface roughness, depth error, and width error is decreased by 88%, 70%, and 80% respectively in the LRUM process. Moreover, the machining time of LRUM is reduced by 85%.

Highlights

Micromachining has acquired tremendous interest, as microcomponents can be seen in a broad array of applications, notably in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, green energy, and biomedical sectors [1]
Microchannels of varying sizes were manufactured in biolox forte ceramic material using laser beam machining (LBM), rotary ultrasonic machining (RUM), and laser rotary ultrasonic machining (LRUM) processes at their optimal parameters
The machining time (MT) is far lower during LBM but the performance of the microchannels is not reasonable in terms of surface finish, surface morphology, and dimensional precision

Summary

Introduction

Micromachining has acquired tremendous interest, as microcomponents can be seen in a broad array of applications, notably in the automotive, aerospace, electronics, green energy, and biomedical sectors [1]. Such microproducts or systems are typically made from difficult-to-machine materials, such as ceramics, metals, polymers, composites, etc., and represent intricate shapes [2]. The manufacturing of the microchannels in bioceramic materials has always been a tedious task and it is often challenging to refine and form them efficiently and effectively using traditional processing methods. Bioceramic materials are considered hard to machine by conventional methods of turning, milling, drilling, etc.

Methods

Results

Conclusion