New opportunities in the micro milling and micro mold market

Throughout the world, the same size of integrated circuits, compared to the present, compared to the present, integrated electronic tubes can not be the same, become more fine and more sophisticated than just ipod; computers and televisions are constantly thinning; medical equipment Advances have enabled more and more miniature devices to be installed in our bodies; even a tiny camera can walk through the body.

Not only are things getting smaller, they are being assembled with more parts that provide extra power and functionality. Micro-parts have a wide range of applications in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronics, information technology optics and telecommunications industries.

All of these products are being developed with higher requirements for small parts and products. In order to continuously reduce costs, most of these small parts are produced using molds. These trends pose new challenges for moldmakers, ranging from the use of new space age materials to special mold coatings, milling parts with 0.1mm diameter tools and achieving sub-micron accuracy.

At the same time, the inherent complexity of micro-parts also opens up new opportunities for moldmakers. When simple and medium-complex mold manufacturing is moved to countries with low labor costs, moldmakers in the US and Europe can turn to more advanced technologies such as micro-molding and micro-milling to maintain their competitive edge.

One of the main challenges in processing small parts for small part machining molds is the machining of micro parts. Direct milling of the effective area of ​​the mold and the manufacture of small EDM electrodes place extremely high demands on the milling process.

Challenges associated with micro-milling include the use of micro-tools with a diameter drop of 100 microns or less and operating at very high speeds of up to 150,000 rpm. The surface quality (Ra) needs to reach 0.2 microns. And since polishing is unrealistic for such small parts and tiny details, micro-milling requirements are a process that does not require polishing.

Micro-milling technology In order to meet the economic constraints while achieving the quality and precision required for micro-milling, the entire manufacturing chain must be optimized and synchronized. Suppliers of CNC machine tools, tools, tool holders, fixtures and quality control equipment need to provide the right solution at a competitive cost.

The following is a list of the main issues that should be addressed in a micro-milling environment:

1) Tools, holders and spindles

â—† Small-sized tools are the implementers of micro-milling. Depending on the size of the workpiece, they can be as small as 0.1 mm and may become smaller in the future. Tool availability and cost must be considered when entrusting a micro milling project.

â—† When using small diameter tools, the high speed spindle is crucial. Using a 0.1mm diameter tool at 10,000 rpm of the spindle means that the cutting speed (Vc) is only 3.3m/min, which is too low!

â—† For spindles with a speed class of 20,000 to 150,000, it is necessary that the spindle and the thermal expansion shank are combined for full dynamic balance and zero runout. Otherwise, the surface quality will be impaired and the tool life will be significantly shortened.

2) Fixtures, clamping systems and manufacturing processes

â—† In most cases, the production of micro-milled parts should be done in one setup. For example, combining EDM with milling is likely to cause unacceptable misalignment and tooling marks.

3) Machine and workshop floor

â—† Needless to say, the machine tool must be consistent in accuracy and can distinguish four decimal places (size sensors).

â—†Micro-milling makes good use of the function of five-axis milling. The ability to tilt the tool away from the material allows it to use shorter tools. However, since the current accuracy of five-axis simultaneous milling is worse than that of three-axis milling, when five-axis linkage is used for micro-milling, the machine specifications and actual performance must be carefully verified.

â—† The machine environment must have a controlled temperature (software compensation may not be sufficient) and avoid vibration. If the machine is not properly isolated, even a heavy truck passing through the plant may generate enough vibration to leave marks on the surface of the workpiece.

4) Milling technology

Depending on the geometry of the part, micro-milling may require a special machining strategy that goes beyond simple scaling down. For example, in many cases, up-cut milling (and non-wind milling) will be the preferred milling strategy.

A high-precision micro-milling CAD/CAM solution for mold making has a complete set of easy-to-use 3-D tools.

The requirements of CAD/CAM systems Everyone intuitively believes that milling machines, tool holders and tools are difficult to scale down to the extremely small size and extremely high precision required for micro milling. At first glance, the software seems to be easier to match. After all, some people say that dealing with numbers like 0.0001 should be as easy for software as it is to handle 1.0 or 10.

A high-precision micro-milling CAD/CAM solution for mold making has a complete set of easy-to-use 3-D tools.

But it is more complicated than it is presented. Generating and modifying geometries with the right precision, smoothness, and continuity is just an entry point for CAD solutions for small parts. In order to get a functional solution for micro-milling, the CAD system must be carefully tuned and optimized to support the following requirements:

1. Read the part model reliably and accurately. Minimizing the need for multiple data transformations is critical to maintaining the accuracy of detailed models.

2. When creating a parting surface or creating a geometry for the slider, pusher and ejector rod, a tight 0.1 to 0.01 micron geometrical tolerance is effective. This is necessary in order to prevent gaps between the parting faces and to maintain the continuity of C1 and C2.

3. Handling multi-cavity molds with very small specifications, including specialized sample parts and components.

The CAM system must also be optimized for micro milling. NC software must handle tight tolerances and ultra-high precision machining. And since the operator cannot intervene to prevent tool damage, the NC software must accurately consider the chip load throughout the process.

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