Synthesis of polishing fluid and novel approach for nanofinishing of copper using ball-end magnetorheological finishing process

Ball-end magnetorheological (MR) finishing process utilizes the magnetically controlled stiffened ball of an MR fluid for finishing purposes. Copper is a mechanically soft and chemically reactive material, so it is difficult to finish up to the nanometer-order level by traditional and most of the advanced finishing processes. In this research work, the problems associated with ball-end MR finishing of copper have been explored and a fluid composition suitable for the finishing of copper has been developed. A novel approach using two opposite magnetic poles has been used to enhance the magnetic flux density distribution between the tool tip and the copper workpiece surface. The same has been magnetically simulated and verified experimentally. The effect of fluid composition parameters has been analyzed by the statistical model developed by response surface. After 30 minutes of finishing time, a nano-finished surface with very few shallow scratches was achieved.