Abstract
Our previous researches have confirmed that the MCF (Magnetic Compound Fluid) slurry shows outstanding performance in the nano-precision polishing of flat surfaces and V-grooves; however, it is still uncertain whether it performs also well in the nano-precision polishing of aspherical surfaces. This paper proposes a novel MCF polishing method for the nano-precision surface finishing of aspherical elements in which the MCF slurry is shaped like a doughnut and utilized as the polishing tool. An experimental setup is constructed by installing a 6-DOF manipulator and a MCF unit onto a workbench. A rotary work-holder for holding and rotationally driving the workpiece is mounted to the arm tip of the manipulator. The MCF unit is composed of a MCF carrier and a magnet holder. On the end face of holder, a permanent magnet is attached with an eccentricity. Thus when the magnet is revolved around the holder axis, a rotary magnetic field is generated and the MCF slurry attached on the end face of MCF carrier is shaped like a doughnut to form a polishing tool. Using the constructed setup, polishing experiments are performed and the validity of the proposed method is confirmed.
