Compliant grinding and polishing: A review

Abstract Compliant grinding and polishing refers to a class of fine material processing methods relying on one or more system element being compliant with the workpiece surface in a controllable and reversible manner, thus being distinct from conventional rigid wheel grinding and polishing. The resulting surface adaptability greatly facilitates the ultra-precision machining of freeform surfaces, with a level of accuracy and productivity difficult to achieve with conventional rigid processing systems. Aiming for a comprehensive review of signal advances on this topic in the last decades, this paper introduces a multi-level compliance categorization system to sort between distinctive processes. For each category, various perspectives are explored that pertain to principles, methodologies, and physical properties such as material removal and surface integrity. Finally, relative merits are analyzed, together with a discussion of the outlook and future trends.