ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

UNIT II
ELID PROCESS
BY SIVAPRAKASH.N
SYLLABUS
Ultra Precision turning and grinding: Chemical
Mechanical Polishing (CMP) - ELID process Partial
ductile mode grinding-Ultra precision grinding-
Binderless wheel Free form optics. Aspherical surface
generation Grinding wheel- Design and selection of
grinding wheel-High-speed grinding- High-speed milling-
Diamond turning.
SOCIETIES OF PRECISION ENGG
The Japanese Society of Precision Engg (JSPE), 1933
The American Society of Precision Engg (ASPE),
The European Society for Precision Engg and Nanotechnology
(EUSPEN)
The International Academy for Production Research (CIRP
College International Recherhe Production)
The Association of Precision Machinery (1947)
Early 1990s, Nakazawas book-Principles of Precision
Engineering

NEED FOR HIGH PRECISION
Create a highly precise movement
Reduce the dispersion of the products or parts function
Eliminate fitting and promote assembly especially automatic assembly
Reduce the initial cost
Reduce the running cost
Extend the life span
Enable the design safety factor to be lowered
Improve interchangeability of components so that corresponding parts made by
other factories
Improve quality control through higher machine accuracy capabilities and hence
reduce scrap, rework, and conventional inspection
Achieve a greater wear/fatigue life of components
Make functions independent of one another
Achieve greater miniaturization and packing densities
Achieve further advances in technology and the underlying sciences
Taniguchis Chart : precision engg : V.C.Venkatesh and Sudin Izman
CLASSIFICATION OF MACHINING
PROCESS
1. Conventional machining
2. Precision machining
3. High-precision machining, and
4. Ultra-precision machining
CONVENTIONAL MACHINING

In this class of machining, the conventional engine lathe
and milling machines are the most appropriate machine
tools.
This can be used to manufacture products such as gears
and screw threads to an accuracy of, for example, 50
m.
PRECISION MACHINING
The two processes that commonly used in precision machining are
Diamond grinding of Integrated Circuit(IC) chips and
Precision manufacture of spherical and aspherical surfaces on
plastics and glass.

The tolerance for form is of the order of 8 m
HIGH-PRECISION MACHINING
High-precision CNC diamond turning machines are available for
diamond mirror machining of components such as

Computer magnetic memory disc substrates
Convex mirrors for high output carbon dioxide laser
resonators
Spherical bearing surfaces made of beryllium, copper, etc.
Infrared lenses made of germanium for thermal imaging
systems
Scanners for laser printers
X-ray mirror substrates
ULTRA-PRECISION MACHINING
ultra-precision machining is a process by which the highest
possible dimensional accuracy is or has been achieved at a given
point in time.
Also, it gives the achievement of dimensional tolerances of the
order of 0.01 m and a surface roughness of 0.001 m (1 nm).
The dimensions of the parts or elements of the parts produced may
be as small as 1 m, and
The resolution and the repeatability of the machine used must be of
the order of 0.01 m (10 nm).
ULTRA-PRECISION MACHINING
Single-point diamond and cubic boron nitride (CBN)
cutting.
Multi-point abrasive cutting/burnishing ,for example, in
diamond and CBN grinding, honing, etc.
Free abrasive (erosion) processes such as lapping,
polishing, elastic-emission machining and selective
chemico-mechanical polishing.
Chemical (corrosion) processes such as controlled etch
machining.


ULTRA-PRECISION MACHINING
Energy beam processes (removal, deformation and accretion) including
those given below:
Photon (laser) beam for cutting, drilling transformation hardening
and hard coating
Electron beam for lithography, welding
Electrolytic jet machining for smoothing and profiling
Electro-discharge (current) beam (EDM) for profiling
Electrochemical (current) (ECM) for profiling
Inert ion beam for milling (erosion) microprofiling
Reactive ion beam (etching)
Epitaxial crystal growth by molecular-bit accretion for
manufacturing new super-lattice crystals, etc.

ULTRA-PRECISION GRINDING
Namba and Abe developed an ultra-precision surface grinder and
succeeded in stabilizing their grinding process.
This machine has two vertical spindles with a hydrostatic bearing of
high precision and rigidity.
It can machine at extremely fine depths of cut (0.1 m), and at
submicron flatness and nano meter surface roughness (5 nm Rmax)
on optical glass (NbF1), it is capable of producing Mn-Zn ferrite and
electronic materials using diamond abrasive grinding wheels.

McKeown et al as developed a three-axis ultra-precision grinding
machine (Nano centre) which can perform diamond turning, grinding,
polishing and is capable of measuring complex machined profiles
through a 1.25 nm resolution interferometry.
The machine must have a static loop stiffness between the tool and
the work piece of at least 300 N/m in order to establish safe
conditions for ductile grinding.

ULTRA-PRECISION GRINDING
Suzuki and Murakami as developed an another ultra precision
grinding machine for machining non-axisymmetric aspheric mirrors.
This is a five-axis machine having a feedback resolution of 10 nm,
and a laser rotary encoder with a resolution of 0.00002 degree,
controls the rotational positioning.
It is clearly seen that machine rigidity, high dynamic stiffness, high
thermal stability, precise and smooth feedback resolution control,
ability to achieve fine depths of cut and the use of special tooling
play a vital role in producing very smooth surfaces under the sub-
nanometric level in ultra-precision machining.
ELECTROLYTIC IN-PROCESS
DRESSING
(ELID) PROCESS
History of ELID
A Japanese research group has introduced an effective
technique to overcome the poor self-dressing properties
of metal bonds, especially cast iron bonds, in the
presence of aqueous lubricants.
Ohmori and Nakagawa have referred to the method as
electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID).

ELECTROLYTIC IN-PROCESS DRESSING




19
SCHEMATIC ILLUSTRATION OF ELID
GRINDING

20
GRINDING WHEEL
They are made of two materials, abrasive grains and a
bonding material.
The cutting action of a grinding wheel is dependent on
the bonding material, the abrasive type, grain size (grit
size), wheel grade and the wheel structure.
BONDING MATERIAL
Bonds are usually formed using different types of raw materials
and are basically classified as follows
vitrified materials (ceramics consist of glass, feldspar or clay)
resinoid materials (thermoset plasticsphenol formaldehyde
resin)
rubber (both natural and synthetic)
shellac
metal (sintered powdered metals and electroplatedbronze,
nickel aluminium alloys, zinc, etc.)
oxychloride (chemical action of magnesium chloride and
manganese)
silicate (sodium silicate NaSiO3 or water glass)
no bond (bondless)
ABRASIVE MATERIALS
precision engg book : V.C.Venkatesh and Sudin Izman
STRUCTURE OF GRIND WHEEL
precision engg book : V.C.Venkatesh and Sudin Izman

ELID Principle & Construction
It uses an electro-chemical method to remove the
metal bonds and properly expose the diamond particles,
thereby maintaining the high efficiency of the grinding
operation.
The basic ELID system consists of a metal or cast-iron-
bonded diamond grinding wheel, an electrode (copper or
graphite), a power supply and an electrolyte.
The power supply for ELID is used to control the
dressing current, voltage and pulse width of the dressing
process.
The metal-bonded wheel is made into the positive pole
through the application of a brush smoothly contacting
the wheel shaft, and the electrode is made into the
negative pole.
In the small clearance between the positive and negative
poles (0.1-0.3 mm), electrolysis occurs through the
supply of the grinding fluid and an electrical current.
ELID - SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION
precision engg book : V.C.Venkatesh and Sudin Izman

ELID - CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
Cast iron is a recommended bond for use in an ELID
grinding wheel.
An oxide hydroxide (insulation) layer is formed on the
surface of the ELID wheel by electrolysis. This layer
has a lower electrolytic conductivity, and it stops
undergoing excessive electrolysis on the grinding
wheels.


precision engg book : V.C.Venkatesh and Sudin Izman

MECHANISM OF ELID PROCESS
Start of Pre-dressing: Cast iron bond material is ionized
into Fe+2 that is then removed by electrolyte and the
super abrasive grains protrude.
End of Pre-dressing: Hydration and/or oxidation of the
cast iron-bonded material will form an insulation layer on
the surface of the grinding wheel and reduce the
electrolytic effect until stabilization.
Start of ELID Grinding Process: The grains are worn
and the insulation layer is thinning while the grinding
process continues.
Stabilization of ELID Grinding Process: Electrolysis
restarts due to the thinning of the insulation layer and
insulation layer will start to be reformed until
establishment, ie., stabilization recovers.

31
MECHANISM OF ELID GRINDING

32 precision engg book : V.C.Venkatesh and Sudin Izman

CLASSIFICATION OF ELID
PROCESS
The grinding wheels used in ELID are broadly classified
into the following:
Metal-bonded diamond grinding wheels
Metal-resin-bonded diamond grinding wheels.
based on the materials to be ground and the applications
of grinding
Electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID-I)
Electrolytic interval dressing (ELID-II)
Electrolytic electrode-less dressing (ELID-III), and
Electrolytic electrode-less dressing using alternate
current (ELID-IIIA).

33
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP ON ELID
GRINDING

34
EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM
SPECIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS

Grinding wheel -CIB-D #4000 (diameter: 75 mm,
width: 3 mm)
Electrolyte -CG-7 (1: 50)
Pre-dressing current -ON (5 s), OFF (5 s)
Electrode -Copper
Workpiece material -BK7 (diameter: 80 mm,
thickness: 10 mm)
Dynamometer - Kistler three-component
dynamometer, model 9256A1
Measuring instrument-Taylor Hobson form talysurf
ELID power -V 90 V, Ip 10 A
Pulse width -10 s
spindle speed - 3000 rev/min
depth of cut -1 m.

35
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
OF ELID

36
The following experiments were performed using a pre-
dressed cast-iron-bonded diamond wheel to study the
performance characteristics of the ELID grinding process:
conventional grinding;
ELID grinding process with varying current duty ratio (Rc)
ELID grinding process with varying feed rate.
For experiments (a) and (b) the feed rate was kept constant at
200 mm/min and for experiment (b) the current duty ratio was
changed between 30% and 60%.
Experiment (c) was conducted by varying the feed rate from
200 mm/min to 600 mm/min at a constant current duty ratio of
50%
37
ADVANTAGES OF ELID
ELID has now become the most efficient method for dressing metal-
bonded grinding wheels continuously, which eliminates the wheel
loading and glazing problems encountered during the grinding
process.
surface roughness (Ra) achieved with this process can be as low as
0.33 nm on BK7 glass and silicon when using an ultra-fine
#3000000 grit metallic bond wheel.
APPLICATIONS OF ELID
GRINDING PROCESS

Structural ceramic components
high wear resistance, high thermal resistance and high resistance to
chemical degradations.
Cutting tools, automobile parts and aerospace turbochargers are the
most important components that use structural ceramic materials.
grinding of ceramics is difficult and more expensive due to the lower
material removal rates (MRR).
Cast iron-bonded diamond grinding wheels using ELID produce high
material removal rates.
The final surface roughness obtained from conventional and ELID
grinding processes are 0.211 and 0.117micron respectively.








Bearing steel
Surface roughness and waviness are the two major
factors, that affects the performance of rolling
surfaces, because it induces noise and vibration of
the components.
the waviness of the surface obtained using ELID is
smaller than the maximum allowable level (MAX)
An average surface roughness of 20 nm with #4000
grinding wheel.

40
Mirror surface finish on optical mirrors
Finishing of larger X-ray mirrors is highly difficult using the
conventional grinding processes.
Super abrasive diamond grinding wheels and ELID are used to
produce a mirror of 1m length with an average surface finish of
less than 10 nm.
Die materials
Finishing of harder die materials such as SKDII and SKII51 with
fine surface finish and accuracy is a great challenge
The grinding ratio for such harder materials is lower, and the
wheel wear rate increases significantly.
ELID-IIIA technique has been implemented successfully for
grinding of these kind of harder conductive materials.



41
Precision grinding of NiCrBSi composite coating
Surface finish using ELID shows limited damage to primary
and secondary carbides.
The surface ground without ELID shows damages in the form
of carbide pullout and localized fracture due to the removal of
large WC particles.
The ground surface measured shows an average surface
roughness of 510 nm and 6080 nm for with ELID and
without ELID, respectively
Micro-hole machining
ELID-lap grinding
Grinding of silicon wafers

42
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Study of ELID grinding shows that it is highly suitable for achieving
nano-surface finishes on metals and non-metals.
Different types of ELID process are highly suitable for machining and
finishing micro shapes.
Nano-surface finish can be achieved by using ductile mode
machining on hard and brittle materials.
The results show that the ELID grinding can produce ductile surfaces
without any sub-surface damage, which eliminates the lapping and
polishing processes.
Surface finish can be improved with higher accuracy and tolerance
since the component is produced using only one process.
The major difficulties are the lack of feedback devices to control the
in-process dressing, optimization of machining conditions and
modelling of ductile mode grinding.

43