Abstract
Electro-rheological gel (ERG) is a new functional material whose surface friction and adhesive properties vary according to the intensity of the applied electric field. In a recent study, one-sided patterned electrodes were applied to the ERG and the change in surface frictional and adhesive property under the electric field, which is called the ERG effect, was experimentally confirmed. The ERG with one-sided patterned electrodes is considered to be suitable for application to a fixture device for micro milling. In this study, a prototype of the ERG fixture device was developed and its performance was experimentally investigated. The proposed ERG fixture devices can be useful for fixturing both metallic and nonmetallic workpieces, such as glass. Micro shrinkage of the ERG occurs in proportion to the voltage applied to the ERG material. Using this characteristic, the alignment of the workpiece can be also adjusted. The developed ERG fixture device was applied to the micro grooving process of a thin glass workpiece, and successful results were obtained.
