Elliptical Vibration Cutting with Variable Trajectory for Ultra-precision Micro-Machining

A cutting device capable of generating various shapes of the cyclic elliptical trajectory of a cutting tool was proposed and micro v-grooving experiments were performed to investigate the characteristics of elliptical vibration cutting (EVC). The proposed cutting device is comprised of a pair of parallel piezoelectric actuators with which harmonic voltages of varying phase difference and magnitude are supplied, creating various shapes of the elliptical tool path. The attributes of the elliptical locus involving the direction of the axis of an ellipse, the rotational direction and amplitudes of a trajectory were fine-tuned for stable operation of the EVC. The EVC characteristics performed with brass and copper revealed reduction in the cutting resistance and suppression of burr formation, resulting in the enhancement of form accuracy of machined micro-features. While the effect of the EVC increases with the increase of excitation frequency and the amplitude, it is found that a change in the cutting force decreases as the amplitude of an elliptical locus increases.