Microgrooving on electroless nickel plated materials using a single crystal diamond tool

Abstract

Diamond tools are used in ultra precision machining for their outstanding hardness and crystalline structure, which enable the fabrication of very sharp cutting edges. Single crystal diamond tools are thus extremely useful to machine electroless nickel-plated dies which are generally used for making molds for optical components. This paper deals with the objective to evaluate the performance and suitability of a single crystal diamond tool during microgrooving on electroless nickel plated workpieces. Effects of different machining parameters on overall machining performance were also investigated. The experimental results revealed that long distance (50 km) machining of microgrooves on electroless nickel is possible with a single crystal diamond tool without any significant tool wear. Some groove wear on the rake face were found after machining 28.5 km. No evidence of chipping or wear had been observed on the flank face during the total machining length. The surface roughness range of the machined workpieces was found to be 4-6 nm. Both thrust and cutting components of the machining forces showed an increasing trend with increasing machining distance, though magnitude of the thrust forces were found to increase more than the cutting forces.