Electrochemical discharge dressing of metal bond micro-grinding tools

Micromachining using miniature metal bond grinding tools is widely used in microelectromechanical systems. However, dressing of these micro-tools is time-consuming and likely to damage the abrasives. In this paper, a novel dressing technique called electrochemical discharge dressing (ECDD) is presented. A dull micro-end grinding bit and an auxiliary electrode are connected to the cathode and anode of a power supply, respectively. The auxiliary electrode is immersed in an electrolyte, and the grinding face of the tool is in contact with the electrolyte surface. During dressing, metal bond on the tool–electrolyte interface is progressively removed subjected to electrochemical discharge effect, thus creating grain protrusion. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the dressing performance of ECDD in terms of surface morphology of the tool, grinding force and surface roughness of the workpiece. Experimental results show that abrasive grains on the tool protrude without observable damage. The normal grinding force and the surface roughness of the workpiece are reduced by half after dressing.