TUNABLE, ULTRASONIC, VIBRATION ASSISTED DIAMOND TURNING

An ultrasonic, vibration assisted diamond turning (UVADT) device has been constructed that allows for variation of vibration frequency and vibration amplitude via a direct drive actuator [1]. This device has been used to identify the relationships between the tool vibration variables and the process parameters. Frequencies as high as forty kilohertz and amplitudes up to seven micrometers have been achieved at the tool tip during cutting. This paper discusses the tool design, the experimental results, and the model used to describe the mechanism by which vibration assisted turning reduces tool wear. FINAL DESIGN / ACTIVE TOOLING Prototype vibration assisted machining (VAM) devices have been described in [1] and [2]. The tool used in this work represents an integrated tool that couples the actuators directly into the tool shank, creating a UVADT device that can now be integrated with a standard tool holder mechanism on conventional precision machine tools, shown in Figure 1. The new tool also has the distinct advantage of being adaptable to conventional or hard turning operations. The tool uses multiple PZTs actuated sequentially to achieve the desired frequency.1 Additionally, this new integrated cutting tool / actuator system is now embeddable in other systems. For example, the compact tool has been coupled with a long-range fast-tool servo (FTS). The merged technology can now realize precision free-form components produced in hard materials directly on a diamond turning machine. This technology opens a new domain of precision single point tooling, whereby, the tool becomes active during the machining process