Electrorheological fluid-assisted polishing of WC micro aspherical glass moulding dies

Abstract

Electrorheological fluid (ER fluid) is one of the functional fluids in which viscosity increases with electric field intensity. Tungsten carbide (WC) aspherical glass moulding dies are usually manufactured by the grinding process. However, the number of effective cutting edges decreases in micro-grinding, and so the surface roughness becomes worse. Therefore, the polishing process must be performed after the grinding process. In this paper, ER fluid-assisted polishing, in which the workpiece and the micro-tool are used as the electrode, is proposed to gather the abrasive grain around the micro-tool. A micro polishing pad is created by electrorheological effect. The ground surface roughness is improved.