A micro-scale machine tool testbed for micro-machining

作为一名起始教员，我计划建立一个先进多尺度制造的研究项目，开发创新的制造技术，以弥合纳米和微尺度之间的差距，并支持对定制微型3D零件日益增长的需求。通过该计划开发的创新多尺度制造技术将允许将纳米级设备集成到实际的工程系统中。我最初的努力将是制造过程和系统的小型化，这可以导致成本效益高，准确，灵活和移动制造，以便3D微型定制设计部件可以在需要或需要的远程位置快速制造。提出的用于微加工的微尺度机床试验台将是一个原型，它将使制造过程和系统小型化。它将是一个桌面测试平台，工作体积为50x50x50mm3，整体尺寸为400x400x400mm3。不同的微型化制造工艺，如微铣削、微细电火花加工、微细电解加工、微细划痕等，将在这个试验台上开发和执行。最初，该试验台将服务于两个目的，与今年“探索”基金申请的拟议项目一致：(1)它将促进应用雾化切削液进行微铣削实验，并测量切削力，以了解过程机制和雾化切削液对加工性能的影响，因为过程是小型化的；(2)它将帮助我们确定机床小型化的一些设计问题，以开发微型机床（mMT）。随着工艺和设备规模的缩小，许多新问题出现了，需要解决的是功能齐全的多功能mMT，包括切削液应用、零件处理、装配、夹具、计量、mMT校准、在线监测和控制等。在解决其中一些问题时，还将使用测试平台。

As a starting faculty member, I plan to establish a research program on advanced multi-scale manufacturing to develop innovative manufacturing technologies to bridge the gap between nano- and micro-scales, and support the increasing demand for customized miniature 3D parts. The innovative multi-scale manufacturing technologies developed through this program will allow integration of nano-scale devices into practical engineering systems. My initial efforts will be on miniaturization of manufacturing processes and systems that can lead to cost-effective, accurate, flexible, and mobile manufacturing so that 3D miniature custom-design parts can be quickly made at a remote location where they are needed or required. The proposed micro-scale machine tool testbed for micro-machining will be a prototype that will enable miniaturization of manufacturing processes and systems. It will be a desk-top testbed with the work volume of 50x50x50 mm3 and the overall dimension of 400x400x400 mm3. Different miniaturized manufacturing processes, e.g., micro-milling, micro-edm, micro-ecm, micro-scratching, etc, will be developed and performed on this testbed.Initially, the testbed will serve two purposes in line with the proposed projects in the Discovery grant application this year: (1) it will facilitate micro-milling experiments with application of atomized cutting fluids to be conducted with measurement of cutting forces in order to understand the process mechanisms and the effect of atomized cutting fluids on cutting performance as the process is miniaturized and (2) it will help us identify a number of design issues on miniaturization for machine tools to develop a micro-scale machine tool (mMT). As the size-scale of the process and equipment is reduced, many new issues arise and remain to be addressed for fully functional and versatile mMTs including cutting fluid application, part handling, assembly, fixturing, metrology, mMT calibration, on-line monitoring and control, etc. The testbed will also be used when addressing some of these issues.