Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of structured surface generated by 3D vibration-assisted milling

Manufacturing efficiency and cost are the core challenges that limit the application of functional surfaces at scale. To deal with this challenge, this paper proposes a three-dimensional (3D) vibration-assisted micro-milling method for structured surfaces. A piezoelectric-driven 3D non-resonant stage is used as a precision motion modulation device to achieve deterministic machining of various structured surfaces. A 3D vibration-assisted milling model is developed considering orthogonal spiral and multi-body kinematics theories. The generated structural surface shapes are predicted by numerical software. Subsequently, a series of structured surface milling experiments are performed and the effect of 3D vibration-assisted milling process parameters on the structure shape is thoroughly investigated. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified theoretically and experimentally.