Auto-tracking single point diamond cutting on non-planar brittle material substrates by a high-rigidity force controlled fast tool servo

This paper presents auto-tracking single point diamond cutting, which can conduct precision cutting on non-planar brittle material substrates without prior knowledge of their surface forms, by utilizing a force controlled fast tool servo (FTS). Differing from traditional force feedback control machining based on a cantilever mechanism such as an atomic force microscope (AFM) that suffers from low-rigidity and limited machining area, the force controlled FTS utilizes a highly-rigid piezoelectric-type force sensor integrated with a tool holder of the FTS system to provide sufficient stiffness and robustness for force-controlled cutting of brittle materials. It is also possible for the system to be integrated with machine tools to deal with the difficulties in the cutting of large area non-planar brittle materials, which requires not only high machining efficiency but also a high stiffness. Experimental setup is developed by integrating the force controlled FTS to a four-axis ultra-precision diamond turning machine. For the verification of the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed cutting strategy and system, auto-tracking diamond cutting of micro-grooves is conducted on an inclined silicon substrate and a convex BK7 glass lens, while realizing constant depths of cuts under controlled thrust forces.