The medical industry pushes the limits of precision for machining and tools. The trend toward less-invasive surgery using smaller parts translates to a need to better control the precision and tolerances of micromachining processes.
While the latest machine tool technology may go a long way towards eliminating vibration and chatter, adding a new one may not be realistic. Luckily, there are less disruptive options that can make positive impacts on vibration without breaking the bank.
Aerospace is unique among industries in its thirst for component accuracy with ‘blemish-free’ precision. Unlike any other industry, anything that goes into the air has to be on spec, as the smallest imperfection in machining can adversely affect flight safety.
Micromachining, cutting where the volume of chips produced with each tool path is very small, is not a high-speed operation in relation to chip load per tooth. Rather, it involves a high spindle speed due to cutter diameter. The part may be physically larger, but details of the part require ultra-small profiles achieved only by micromachining. In other words, micromachining is not limited in scope to only miniature parts.