Abstract
Loose-abrasive machining is essential for obtaining good surface quality. However, the process has problems relating to detrimental impact on environment and a high total process cost. Therefore, it is strongly demanded for replacing the process with fixed-abrasive polishing, but the conventional fixed-abrasive polishing has a problem such as low finishing efficiency. To overcome the problem, in the previous report, we developed a structure-controlled fixed-abrasive pad which consists of a fixed-abrasive layer and an abrasive holding layer. It was introduced for finishing optical glass, and it was found that the finishing efficiency was comparable to that obtained by the conventional polishing. In this report, the conditioning method of the pad was discussed in order to improve the finishing efficiency. As a result, high finishing efficiency and good surface roughness were achieved with low abrasive consumption, and furthermore, the form accuracy of the workpiece could be significantly improved compared with the conventional polishing.
