Micro-hole perforation on stainless steel is essential for various industrial applications. However, achieving precise hole geometry, high aspect ratio, and excellent surface quality remains challenging with conventional drilling methods. In this study, we employed a single circular path trepanning technique using a femtosecond laser to drill micro-holes in 316L stainless steel with diameters less than 90 µm. Process parameters, including pulse energy, repetition rate, scan speed, and number of scans, were systematically varied. Resulting hole morphology and cross-sectional profiles were characterized using a confocal microscope and a scanning electron microscope. Our findings demonstrated that optimized femtosecond laser drilling could minimize recast layers, sputter deposition, and heat-affected zones, thereby achieving high-quality micro-holes suitable for demanding industrial applications.
Digital twin technology offers the advantage of monitoring the status of equipment, systems, and more in a virtual environment, allowing validation through simulation. This technology has found numerous applications in the industrial robotics field, driven by recent advancements in the manufacturing industry. Consequently, predicting machining quality using digital twin technology is imperative for ensuring high-quality processed goods. In this study, we developed a digital twin program based on a cutting-force physical model and created a performance enhancement module that allows the visualization of material removal for user convenience. The predicted cutting forces from both conventional CNC and the physical model demonstrate a high accuracy of within 2%. Within the digital twin environment, the error rate for the robotic drilling process is 13.5%. Building upon this, we developed and validated a module for material removal visualization, aiming to increase convenience for on-site operators.
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A Review of Intelligent Machining Process in CNC Machine Tool Systems Joo Sung Yoon, Il-ha Park, Dong Yoon Lee International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing.2025; 26(9): 2243. CrossRef
PCBs (Printed circuit boards) have been widely used in electronic products such as wearables, smartphones, and table computers. Recent trends of miniaturizing electric components require improvement of component density and electronic functionality by decreasing the size of micro via holes (50-110 μm), which interconnect electric signals between adjacent layers in high density interconnection (HDI) PCBs. To generate micro via holes, we studied CO₂ laser drilling with the help of pulse shape controlling using acousto-optic modulator (AOM). Pulse shape controlling is one of the key factors to reduce heat effect during the laser drilling process. To increase laser absorption, the substrate was subjected to black oxidation prior to CO₂ laser drilling. We designed a diffractive optical system using a circular aperture. Micro via holes were obtained by optimizing the optical distance. The laser drilled via hole was studied both experimentally and theoretically.
Ground drilling technology for drilling has an environment where the major parts are prone to damage due to high stress, torque, and harsh operating conditions that can occur in the rotary power transfer structure. Research for preventing this damage is very important, as it can be coupled with the nature of drilling operations that take a long time in operation, which can lead to enormous cost and time consumption. Previous work investigated the cause of damage by analyzing the working environment and breakage of drilling holes for connecting rods, and a power transfer component of directional mud motors used in ground drilling systems. The material properties by heat treatment conditions for applied materials were analyzed. Based on prior work, we evaluated whether the stress concentration part shown in the analysis results matched the actual damage occurring point by conducting a structural analysis of the connecting rod, a damaged part, using the finite element analysis. We also analyzed how to reduce the stress concentration phenomenon that occurs during the mud motor operation by conducting part shape and design changes between the connecting rod and key parts.
Silicon carbide (SiC) has been used as a material for semi-conductor, molds, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) because of its superior thermal, electrical, and mechanical properties. However, micro machining of SiC is very challenging due to its hardness and brittleness. This paper presents an experimental study of micro hole drilling of SiC. In this study, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) was used as a tool to overcome the hardness of SiC. The micro PCD tool with a diameter of 110 μm was fabricated by micro electrical discharge machining (EDM). Micro drilling was conducted with varying machining parameters such as tool rotational speed and feed rate. Effects of surface roughness of the tool and lubrication method were also investigated.
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E-Beam micro-hole drilling features high productivity of 2,000 holes per second and a high aspect ratio of 10 (depth/diameter). It can be used for the fabrication of nozzles and filters that require several holes. The hole-formation mechanism comprises 1) melting the sample by the energy exchange of e-beam and 2) removing the molten sample by the explosion of the backing material. Accordingly, hole-formation mechanism studies have focused on the effectiveness of backing material and the workpiece’s melting characteristic. This study investigated the melting depth characteristics depending on the beam current and exposure time that determines the E-Beam dose. The experiments were conducted without using the backing materials with an aim to investigate the melting characteristic of the workpiece itself. The results showed that the increase in the exposure current led to an improvement in the melting depth. The results were verified based on the comparison with the results of the process involving the backing material.
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Recently, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) has been attracting much attention in various industries because of its beneficial properties such as excellent strength, modulus per unit density, and anti-corrosion properties. However, there are several issues in its application to various fields. Severe tool wear issues in its machining have been noted as one of the most serious problems because it induces various serious machining failures such as delamination and splintering. In this regard, timely tool replacement is essential for reducing the influence of tool wear. In this study, tool wear, especially flank wear, in the CFRP drilling was investigated and monitored. First, the reproducibility of tool wear under the same machining condition was experimentally evaluated. And it is demonstrated that tool wear may remarkably differ even though the same machining condition is applied to the tools. Then, tool wear monitoring based on the feed motor torque was applied to the detection of tool life ending in the CFRP drilling process. Consequently, it was demonstrated that the average and maximum detection error of the tool life end were less than 7 and 14%, respectively.
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When a workpiece contains complex burr edges from a combination of drilling and milling, conventional deburring tools such as wire brushes may not be effective in their removal. In this study, abrasive flow machining was used to gain access to complex burr edges. Experiments on two types of flow guides suggest that an abrupt change in direction of flow around the area with targeted burr edges is essential. The effects of several process parameters are investigated based on the experiments set up.
The mechanical drilling of micro holes is considered a difficult endeavor, due to the high hardness and brittleness of alumina plates found during the drilling process. In this work, an alumina plate with a 4mm thickness is drilled with the use of a continuous-wave Nd:YAG fiber laser. As can be seen, there is minimum required power density to ablate the alumina plate. As shown in this study, the hole diameter and straightness are not constant with the hole depth recorded, which is presumably due to the recondensation of vaporized alumina, and the characteristics of irregular laser radiation. The oxygen pressure, power density, focal position, and laser on time (duration) are chosen as the control parameters. To understand the influence of control parameters, the orthogonal arrays table in Taguchi method is applied, and the micro holes are evaluated based on the use of geometrical factors. Through the review of a sensitivity and interaction analysis, the appropriate duration and oxygen pressure are identified as the major parameters governing the geometrical quality of drilled holes in this study.
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Micro Drilling of Single Crystal SiC Using Polycrystalline Diamond Tool Ui Seok Lee, Chan Young Yang, Ju Hyeon Lee, Bo Hyun Kim Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering.2021; 38(7): 471. CrossRef