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In the fields of semiconductors, electronics, optics, and spare parts for the chemical industry micromachining is a frequently used processing method, but at the same time it is also the most troublesome problem for the fineness cannot be judged by eyes alone. Under such a predicament, how does smart machining break through the difficulties, even improve the quality, and reduce the cost of waste products?
In the machining field, the biggest headache for the shop owner and the operator is the micro-processing, because its mechanical vibration frequency is high and stable, and the operating sound is also low, and it is almost difficult to observe with the naked eye during the machining. the sound of airflow and the coverage of cutting fluid make people completely unable to know the machining status by any means.
The most unique feature of the smart tool holder is that a ring-shaped sensor is embedded in the part closest to the tool, which can effectively monitor the direct force on the tool. Cutting force can be effectively measured by even touching the tool with a finger. It reflects the force of 0.05Nm, which is already a signal that cannot be measured by a general vibration meter. Usually, this processing method is mostly used in the manufacturing fields of electronics, semiconductors, optics, chemical industry spare parts, etc. It is also a machining challenge for the booming semiconductor industry in Taiwan.
As shown in the right figure, we utilize the bending moment characteristics to fabricate a milling tool with an edge width of only 0.433mm for machining a significant number of holes. Each time the tool is inserted, there is often an abrupt cutting force. It is noteworthy that this cutting force exhibits a maintained symmetry around 360 degrees, without imposing stress on the micro-tool. This symmetry guarantees a burr-free opening for the micro-machined inner hole and female thread, as well as ensures the correct feed rate.
As the number of machining processes increases, the force of the milling tool gradually increases, which means that the milling tool becomes blunter and blunter. What’s even worse is that those holes are often undetectable. Only by manually locking small screws in the holes can the quality of the holes be ensured. Therefore, many large-scale factories in Europe will machine the tapped hole through smart cutting. In this way, it is possible to do fine-tapped holes and drilling, and no longer go through manually quality control inspection to improve the quality and lead to a lower rejection rate, and the tool no longer has to be replaced earlier because of possible breakage.
The semiconductor and chemical industry often encounters micro-deep hole processing with a depth is more than five times deep compared to regular depth, and the number of holes to be processed in a single piece varies from thousands to tens of thousands, which makes the shop owner very distressed about the control of tool life and the inability to effectively reduce the scrap rate. In the picture above, we tried to process the micro-holes, the diameter of which is only 0.2mm. We detected that chip removal of the fourth hole has a little stringy chip at the entry, but if the force maintains symmetry and gradually increases, it can effectively control tool life and output value, and there will be no more broken tools, broken holes, or even waste products, effectively reducing machining costs.
In the fields of semiconductors, optical or chemical parts, and other micro-processing, relying on manual inspection not only consumes a lot of manpower, but also cannot ensure the quality of the product, and smart cutting can instantly know the current state of machining and effectively control the tool.The most important thing is to maintain a high degree of sensing sensitivity in micro-processing, thereby improving processing quality and reducing waste and labor costs.
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