Abstract
A new finishing process for metal molds by large-area electron beam irradiation is proposed in this study. In the large-area electron beam irradiation equipment used here, the electron beam with a maximum diameter of 60mm can be used for melting or evaporating metal surface. Experimental results show that the surface roughness decreases from 6μmRz to less than 1μmRz in just a few minutes under a proper machining condition. By observing the cross section of irradiated surfaces, it is confirmed that the material removal is performed just on the irradiated surface without any resolidified layers. Therefore, large-area electron beam irradiation method has a high possibility to be a high efficient finishing process for metal molds.
