Author(s)

RODION GROLL & CHRISTOPH KÜHN

Abstract

The main goal of the present grinding concept GrindBall is to develop a manufacturing process to machine micro structures on hard and brittle materials, using a spherical and shaftless grinding tool. Thereby the negative effect of cutting speed variation caused by fixed rotational axes of conventional grinding pins is reduced. Spherical tools require new technologies for contactless tool drive and positioning that are able to be miniaturised to a compact machining module and fit in the workspace of small machine tools. Therefore, a fluidic drive and an electromagnetic bearing system were chosen for the GrindBall module as practically contactless technologies for power transmission.

Keywords

fluid/solid interaction, grinding tools, interfacial modelling, shear forces, two-phase flow