Abstract
This paper reports the research work on the design of a precision 5-axis grinding machine with electrolytic in process dressing (ELID) for the production of optical aspherical and free-form surfaces. The application emphasis lies on steep and highly non-rotational symmetric surfaces on brittle and super hard materials, and the specified working volume of the machine is 100mm x 100mm x 70mm. To reach sub-micron figure accuracy, this machine incorporates a unique measurement system containing three metrology frames, and this system satisfies the Abbe principle and uses direct end-point measurement. The machine is designed to be further equipped with an in-situ measurement device to enhance machine performance. This paper describes principles and techniques applied in the machine design, the design of major components and the details of the implemented metrology frames.
