Novel localized vibration-assisted magnetic abrasive polishing method using loose abrasives for V-groove and Fresnel optics finishing

Achieving sub-nanometer roughness on aspheric optical mold by non-contact polishing using damping-clothed tool

The surface quality of optical lenses is highly required in imaging functions. Normally, ultra-precision turning is employed to fabricate the optical lenses. However, ultra-precision turning cannot meet the surface quality demands due to the tool marks. In this study, a new damping-clothed (DC) tool and chemical enhanced non-Newtonian ultrafine (CNNU) slurry for non-contact polishing are proposed to achieve sub-nanometer roughness on aspherical optical molds. A material removal model based on the hydrodynamic pressure and velocity simulation was established to calculate the dwell time in curved surface machining. The formation mechanism of sub-nanometer roughness is clarified. The proposed method and slurry were verified by the experiments in processing NiP alloy aspheric optical mold. After the process, surface roughness Sa achieved 0.54 nm and the form accuracy is less than PV 600 nm.

Development of a New Finishing Process Combining a Fixed Abrasive Polishing with Magnetic Abrasive Finishing Process

High quality, highly efficient finishing processes are required for finishing difficult-to-machine materials. Magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process is a finishing method that can obtain a high accuracy surface using fine magnetic particles and abrasive particles, but has poor finishing efficiency. On the contrary, fixed abrasive polishing (FAP) is a polishing process can obtain high material removal efficiency but often cannot provide a high-quality surface at the nano-scale. Therefore, this work proposes a new finishing process, which combines the magnetic abrasive finishing process and the fixed abrasive polishing process (MAF-FAP). To verify the proposed methodology, a finishing device was developed and finishing experiments on alumina ceramic plates were performed. Furthermore, the mechanism of the MAF-FAP process was investigated. In addition, the influence of process parameters on finishing characteristics is discussed. According to the experimental results, this process can achieve high-efficiency finishing of brittle hard materials (alumina ceramics) and can obtain nano-scale surfaces. The surface roughness of the alumina ceramic plate is improved from 202.11 nm Ra to 3.67 nm Ra within 30 min.

Suppression of Surface Waviness Error of Fresnel Micro-Structured Mold by Using Non-Integer Rotation Speed Ratio in Parallel Grinding Process

Fresnel micro-structured lenses are widely used in the field of modern optoelectronic technology. High-precision Fresnel micro-structured mold is the key technology to achieve its large-scale replication production. Focusing on the surface waviness error of Fresnel micro-structured mold machined by parallel grinding process, this paper conducted theoretical modeling and experiment research. Based on the grinding kinematics theory, the simulation models of the surface waviness topography and the circular waviness profiles of the ground Fresnel micro-structured mold were developed, considering the combined influence of the non-integer rotation speed ratio and other grinding parameters. A series of grinding experiments were carried out to verify the proposed simulation models. The influence of a non-integer rotation speed ratio and a wave-shift value upon the surface waviness error of the ground Fresnel micro-structured molds were analyzed. Both the simulation and experimental results proved that choosing the non-integer rotation speed ratio and a proper wave-shift value could greatly reduce the surface waviness error and improve the surface quality and uniformity.

Influence of multifrequency vibration on the optical performance of diamond-turned optics and its elimination method

In this work, to reveal the underlying mechanism of the influence of multifrequency vibration on the optical performance of diamond-turned optics, a systematic simulation investigation is performed using Fourier modal method and fast Fourier transformation based on a well-established surface topography model. Both the simulation results and the experimental observations demonstrate that the center area is the most heavily influenced region on the machined surface, which is closely associated with the distribution of the surface roughness under multifrequency vibration. The vibration amplitude has a visible impact on the specular reflectivity, and with an increase in vibration amplitude, the specular reflectivity in the center area obviously decreases, while the specular reflectivity in remote areas basically remains invariant. To eliminate the negative effect in relation to the vibration, a two-step process technology is developed that includes a strict spindle balance and the optimization of process parameters, particularly the depth of cut and the spindle speed. The cutting experiments further validate the effectiveness of the proposed technology for elimination of the negative effect concerning multifrequency vibration.