Title: Microscale fabrication of pin-shaped machine parts by a new centreless grinding technique

Authors: Yongbo Wu, Yufeng Fan, Masana Kato

Addresses: Department of Machine Intelligence and Systems Engineering, Akita Prefectural University, 84-4 Tsuchiya-ebinokuchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0055, Japan. ' Department of Nanomechanics, Tohoku University, 6-6-01 Aramaki-aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan. ' Department of Machine Intelligence and Systems Engineering, Akita Prefectural University, 84-4 Tsuchiya-ebinokuchi, Yurihonjo, Akita 015-0055, Japan

Abstract: This paper proposes a new centreless grinding technique for the fabrication of microscale pin-shaped machine parts with large aspect ratio, and describes the design, construction and performance confirmation of the experimental apparatus which is composed mainly of an ultrasonic regulator used for controlling the rotation speed of the microscale workpiece. The regulator was constructed by bonding a plate-shaped piezoceramic device on an I-shaped metal body, on the end-face of which microscale ultrasonic elliptical vibration is generated. The structure and dimensions of a regulator were determined in detail by FEM analysis. Following workpiece rotation control tests using a special apparatus under a grinding-like configuration, a regulator was installed on an existing centreless grinder to perform actual microscale centreless grinding operations involving a tungsten carbide pin-shaped workpiece 0.6 mm in diameter and 15 mm in length. The experimental result gave a microscale workpiece 75 µm in diameter and 15 mm in length.

Keywords: centreless grinding; workpiece rotation speed; regulating wheel; regulator; ultrasonic vibration; microscale parts; microscale fabrication; nanomanufacturing; pin-shaped parts; piezoceramics; FEM; finite element method; tungsten carbide.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2006.011377

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2006 Vol.1 No.1, pp.3 - 16

Published online: 29 Nov 2006 *

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