Investigation of Micro Scratching and Machining of Glass

Micro mechanical machining, which is mechanical removal of material using miniature tools, is one of the fabrication methods in the micro realm that has recently attracted a great deal of attention. Micro machining has the advantage of being able to machine complex shapes from brittle materials. The most challenging problem in the micro mechanical machining of brittle materials is the fabrication of fracture-free surfaces. To avoid brittle fractures, a thorough investigation is required to find the machining parameters in the ductile cutting regime, which is characterized by plastic deformation of material when the chip thickness is smaller than a critical value. In this study, the cutting forces and surface characteristics of soda-lime glass are examined. Conical scratch tests are performed to identify the critical chip thickness, and the cutting forces in the ductile regime are modeled. In addition, torus end milling of glass is performed to examine the effects of feed rates, and spindle speeds, and to investigate tool wear.