Tool Wear Characteristics in Ultra-precision Raster Milling

Abstract

Ultra-precision raster milling (UPRM) is a typical intermittent cutting process used to fabricate non-rotational symmetric surface structures with nanometric surface roughness, which has become an essential method for producing precise optical products. However, since wear of the cutting tool in the UPRM process significantly affects the machined surface roughness, it is necessary to determine tool wear characteristics, tool wear effects on the surface roughness, and tool wear on-machine evaluation methods for UPRM. In this chapter, the research focuses on the exploration of tool wear characteristics and their effects on machined surface quality in UPRM. Each tool wear characteristic and its effect on the machined surface quality are discussed separately according to the observed tool wear characteristic: tool fracture, material welding, flank wear land formation, and sub-wear-land formation. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by identifying tool wear characteristics and their effects on machined surface roughness in UPRM.