Chip geometry modeling in micro-milling of glow discharge polymer by a single-edge diamond tool considering tool inclination

Glow discharge polymer (GDP) ablators with complex microstructures are critical in confined inertial fusion applications. Micro-milling with controllable chip formation is of great interest. This work studies the effect of cutting tool inclination on the chip geometry and surface integrity in micro-milling of GDP. A novel model framework was proposed for undeformed and deformed chip geometries including chip length, width, and thickness by considering the tool inclination angle, effective cutting radius and tool orientation. Milling of micro-grooves was conducted on GDP films using a single-edge diamond tool (SDT). The mechanism of chip formation and surface generation were analyzed. The instantaneous cutting speed and material removal rate were calcu-lated based on the proposed models. Moreover, the effect of tool inclination angles on the surface quality and machining profile accuracy was explored. The chip morphology and surface texture of the micro-groove were also analyzed. The results show that the proposed model could accurately predict the chip geometries with an average goodness of fit of 99.68%. Case I with a positive inclination of 20 degrees along the feed direction was found the best for micro-milling of GDP polymer using a SDT with an excellent surface roughness of 11.35 nm and a maximum PV value of 0.072 mu m. The study could provide guidance for chip formation and surface finishing modeling during micro-milling.