Ultrasonic Machining Of Silicon Nitride And Synthetic Ruby Using Syndite Pcd Microdrill Tools

Advanced ceramics are increasingly being used for commercial applications in the aerospace and automotive industries. Diamond grinding is presently the principal means of machining ceramic workpieces; however, non-conventional machining processes such as laser beam machining and in some cases electrical discharge machining (EDM), can also be employed. Results are presented of an extensive series of experiments to determine workpiece material removal rate, tool wear rate and workpiece quality/accuracy when ultrasonic machining sintered silicon nitride and synthetic ruby, using various tool materials.