Restraint of the mid-spatial frequency error on optical surfaces by multi-jet polishing.

Nowadays, the mid-spatial frequency (MSF) error existing in the optical surface after polishing is still a great challenge for the ultra-precision manufacturing of optical components. MSF error severely deteriorates the performances of optical components such as causing small-angle scattering and reducing imaging contrast. In this paper, multi-jet polishing (MJP) was proposed to restrain the MSF error, whose tool influence function (TIF) was relatively more complicated and adjustable than the TIFs of other tools. The results demonstrated that MJP had a superior ability to reduce the ripple error, and the path spacing and nozzle orientation angle both had a significant effect on the MSF error of the polished surface. The optimization of nozzle orientation angle under different path spacings was conducted to achieve a high surface quality. This study contributes to the ultra-precision manufacturing of optical components, achieving a low MSF error together with high finishing efficiency.

Fabrication of the high-precision micro-structure array using a phase shift modulation of superimposed oscillation in ultra-precision grinding.

Various micro-structure surface texturing methods have been used to produce optical functional surface in the grinding, such as the textured grinding wheel, wheel path control and off-spindle-axis grinding. However, those grinding technologies are inherently challenged to employ in large-scale surface grinding due to the extremely high requirement for wheel cutting profile dressing. In this study, a novel phase shift modulation based on wheel oscillation motion was proposed to generate the micro-structure array in ultra-precision grinding. The phase shift effect involved in the surface micro-structure generation is investigated, in which the role of the second phase shift on superimposed mode and micro-waviness forms is discussed. A theoretical model based on the tool superimposed oscillation is established to study the micro-structure texture generation mechanism by considering the second phase shift. The influence of modulation frequency in the case of phase shift and out of phase shift on the surface texture generation both for the striation pattern and micro-structure is compared to clarify the transition between the continuous grooves and the discrete micro-structure array. The study indicates that the phase shift modulation represents a novel paradigm for fabricating micro-structure array with considerable capability and high efficiency in ultra-precision grinding.

Curvature effect-based modeling and experimentation of the material removal in polishing optical surfaces using a flexible ball-end tool.

Optical surfaces with high quality have been widely applied in high-tech industries for their excellent performances. To precision manufacture those surfaces efficiently and effectively, various machining technologies involved become extremely crucial. As one of the promising ultra-precision machining technologies, inflated or solid elastic tool polishing has attracted more attention for its own superiority. However, there is still lack of understanding on material removal mechanisms especially with the consideration of curvature effect, and it is of great importance to determine the surface quality and form control in ultra-precision polishing process. In this paper, originating from the famous macro-scale Preston equation, the curvature effect-based material removal model in polishing using a flexible ball-end tool has been developed successfully on the basis of two key sub-models, one is the generic model of effective relative velocity and the other refers to the semi-experimental contact pressure model. A series of spot polishing experiments subsequently are conducted on concave surfaces with a curvature radius range from 75 mm to 225 mm. The experimentally measured section profiles of polishing spots do match well with the predicted data, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed material removal model. On the measured polishing spots, it is also observed that there have two nonuniform material removal phenomena, one is analyzed along the central axis and the other is discussed by two regions symmetrical about the central axis. Compared with the effective relative velocity, it is found that, the contact pressure is more sensitive to curvature effect by investigating the variation of maximum removal depth within a broader curvature radius range from 75 mm to 1000 mm. This study can provide a valuable foundation for polishing optical surfaces with deterministic removal.

Experimental Investigation on the Effect of Surface Shape and Orientation in Magnetic Field Assisted Mass Polishing.

Magnetic field assisted finishing (MFAF) technology has been widely used in industries such as aerospace, biomedical, and the optical field for both external and internal surface finishing due to its high conformability to complex surfaces and nanometric surface finishing. However, most of the MFAF methods only allow polishing piece-by-piece, leading to high post-processing costs and long processing times with the increasing demand for high precision products. Hence, a magnetic field-assisted mass polishing (MAMP) method was recently proposed, and an experimental investigation on the effect of surface posture is presented in this paper. Two groups of experiments were conducted with different workpiece shapes, including the square bar and roller bar, to examine the effect of surface orientation and polishing performance on different regions. A simulation of magnetic field distribution and computational fluid dynamics was also performed to support the results. Experimental results show that areas near the chamber wall experience better polishing performance, and the surface parallel or inclined to polishing direction generally allows better shearing and thus higher polishing efficiency. Both types of workpieces show notable polishing performance where an 80% surface roughness improvement was achieved after 20-min of rough polishing and 20-min of fine polishing reaching approximately 20 nm.