Profile Characteristics of Biomachined Zinc

Abstract

Biomachining is one of the alternative methods in micromachining, which is environmentally friendly and have high efficiency (eco-efficient). This method uses bacteria (this research used Acidithiobacillus ferooxidans), which can extract the metal by using oxidation-reduction reactions as a part of its life cycle. This study reports the characterization of the biomachining process using zinc (Zn) materials. Pattern making was done by the visible light maskless photolithography process using DLP (Digital Light Processing) projector, and the characterization was done by varying the biomachining time. Surface profile data and photos of the workpieces were obtained using ‘SURFCOM’ and ‘Dino-Lite’ microscope, respectively. The results of this study show the profile of the surface of biomachined zinc forms a valley shaped like, with the horizontal feed larger than the vertical feed, and for the depth, width, and surface roughness tend to increase, while for the material removal rate and specific material removal rate tend to decrease with the increase of biomachining time.