Design and experimental verification of high frequency elliptical vibration cutting system

Mold steel is widely used in optical mold manufacturing precision due to its excellent mechanical properties and chemical stability. However, in the ultra-precision diamond cutting process, the mold steel has tendency to chemically react with the diamond tool, resulting in severe tool wear. Ultrasonic elliptical vibration cutting is an advanced ultra-precision machining technology, while the working frequency of the ultrasonic elliptical vibrator is a major factor restricting the machining efficiency. In this research, a novel high-frequency elliptical vibration cutting system is designed for promoting the machining efficiency. Firstly, based on the longitudinal vibration theory of continuous plasmas, the bending vibration theory of cylindrical rods and finite element simulation analysis, the optimal structure are derived. Subsequently, the performance test shows that the actual working frequency of the system is 110 kHz with vibration amplitudes of 2.5–1 μm_p-p in bending and longitudinal directions. Moreover, the experimental results show that the mirror surface of Sa 3.9 nm can be machined successfully on the mold steel without obvious tool wear. Furthermore, the sinusoidal grid structure was successfully machined on mold steel The performance testing of molded component illustrated the stability and feasibility of the high-frequency elliptical vibration cutting system in cutting microstructural arrays on mold steel.