Fundamental study of ultrasonic polishing of mold steel

Ultrasonic Machining, (USM) is conventionally used for machining hard and b rittle materials. As polishing of steel mold has been a serious concern in the industry, an innovative cost-effective ultrasonic polishing system is d eveloped for this purpose. The ultrasonic tool moves in a patterned path to cover the entire surface to be polished. Microcutting, plowing and indenta tion by abrasives are observed on the polished surface. The experiment was conducted on typical mold steel with the emphasis on the effects of the abr asive size and the static load on the surface finish. The optimal abrasive size depending on the surface roughness prior to polishing is identified. L arge static loads possess an advantage in that the abrasives are more effec tively activated for polishing. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights r eserved.