Abstract
A new cutting mechanism for the fabrication of micro-scale grooves has been developed. Based on the control principle of the nano-cutting mechanism using an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), in this system, a single crystal diamond tool is mounted at the free edge of a cantilever beam, and it is used for the removal of the material. On the other hand, during the cutting process, the cantilever presents a deformation that is required for the implementation of a machining force feedback control. In previous experiments, this mechanism has shown that even if the micro-grooves are fabricated on inclined surfaces, it is possible to keep constant its cutting depth, by maintaining constant the normal cutting force using the feedback control system. However, during all those experiments, arbitrary cutting conditions have been used. For that reason, in order to improve the fabrication process of the micro-grooves, several cutting experiments changing the cutting speed where realized to observe its effect on the deformation of the cantilever. In this paper, an analysis based on the experimental results is presented to start determining the optimal cutting conditions for this mechanism.
