Title: Analysis and design of extremely high-speed spindles for nanomachining applications

Authors: Mark J. Jackson, Grant M. Robinson, Luke J. Hyde, Kalyana Kanjarkar, Jie Cui, Waqar Ahmed

Addresses: Center for Advanced Manufacluring, College of Technology, Purdue University, 401 North Grant Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021, USA. ' Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Birck Nanotechnology Center, College of Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021, USA. ' Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Birck Nanotechnology Center, College of Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021, USA. ' Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Birck Nanotechnology Center, College of Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021, USA. ' Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Birck Nanotechnology Center, College of Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2021, USA. ' Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Research Institute, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT 37 0QB, UK

Abstract: High-Speed Spindles (HSS) rotate faster than the conventional spindles and generate higher material removal rates when cutting industrial materials. The efficiency of cutting tools in HSS depends on the rotational speed of the rotor. A high-pressure variation on the surface of the rotor causes the rotor to fail and this severely limits the reliability and durability of HSS to support new developments in the developing area of micro and nanomanufacturing technologies. In this study, alternative designs of spindles were proposed and numerical simulations were carried out for each design using CFX software. The results revealed that changes in the rotor, inlet and outlet geometries affect the pressure distribution significantly. The optimum design was identified based on the lowest pressure variation on the rotor surface obtained from CFX results. Experiences with HSS are described using experiments which show that the use of high spindle speeds leads to positive benefits in material removal mechanisms and efficiency. Machining at extremely high speeds provide a new direction in the development of micro and nanomanufacturing technologies.

Keywords: high speed spindles; HSS; nanomanufacturing; nanomachining; nanotechnology; micromanufacturing; computational fluid dynamics; CFD; applied mathematical modelling; spindle design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNM.2006.012194

International Journal of Nanomanufacturing, 2006 Vol.1 No.2, pp.153 - 172

Published online: 28 Jan 2007 *

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