Behavior Evaluation of Small-Diameter Polishing Tools for Workpieces with Curved Surface and Groove

-Comparison of Buffing and Magnetic Polishing under Same Conditions-

Abstract

　　　The surface polishing method is required for post processing of three-dimensional (3-D) shape mechanical parts with the progress of new fabrication process. Buffing and magnetic polishing are often performed, however, there are no reports for comparing these polishing characteristics under same conditions. With the above background, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship among pressure distribution, tool deformation behavior and tool followability on the polished surface. In this paper, the various observation tests between tool and workpiece were conducted by using buffing and magnetic polishing. As a result, it was revealed that the compression modulus of buffing tool is one of the main cause of tool followability. When polishing the grooved surface, comparison of buffing and magnetic polishing suggests that the magnetic clusters in magnetic polishing can reach the corner of groove.