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The secret of magnetic field assistance: How does this amazing processing technology revolutionize surface treatment?
With the advancement of science and technology, the demand for surface treatment technology in modern manufacturing industry is gradually increasing. Magnetic Field-Assisted Finishing (MAF) came into being. This is a surface treatment technology that uses a magnetic field to force abrasive particles to act on the target surface. The development of MAF technology not only demonstrates high efficiency, but also enables fine processing of surfaces that are usually difficult to access, such as the inside of long curved pipes.
Magnetic field-assisted processing technology is increasingly showing its potential in many application areas such as medical components, fluid systems, optics, molds, electronic components and even mechanical components.
History behind the technology
Initial development of MAF began in the United States in the 1930s, and the first patent was obtained in the 1940s. Following research at universities in the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Germany, and Poland in the 1960s, the technology became practical in the 1980s and 1990s. With the booming semiconductor, aerospace and optical industries, MAF technology is becoming more and more perfect, achieving high shape accuracy and surface integrity.
Principle of Operation
MAF technology mainly uses a magnetic field to operate a uniform mixture of magnetic particles and abrasive particles to apply processing force to the workpiece. During this process, the relative motion of the particles enables material removal, and since there is no need for direct contact with the tool, the particles can reach many areas that are difficult to reach with traditional techniques. Careful selection of magnetic and abrasive particles allows previously unattainable control over surface texture and roughness.
In MAF, the force of the magnetic field on the particles can be achieved in many different ways, including the use of materials, motion configuration, and choice of magnetic field source.
Equipment and its operation
MAF is based on the relative motion between a mixture of magnetic and abrasive particles and the workpiece to achieve material removal. A common setup is rotation of the pole tips. This can be achieved by rotating the entire permanent magnet arrangement, or just the steel poles. For internal machining, the movement can also be achieved by rotating the workpiece, although this is limited to axisymmetric workpieces.
Material Removal Mechanism
During the MAF process, trace cutting forces (along with normal and tangential forces on the surface) explain the mechanism of material removal. As the brush continues to contact the workpiece, the surface roughness of the workpiece will gradually decrease, and the upper limit of this process is limited by the current processing settings. By selecting the appropriate size of magnetic particles and abrasives, MAF can achieve arbitrary adjustment of roughness values between 200μm Ra and 1nm Ra, showing extremely high customizability.
MAF’s unique ability to perform surface modifications without affecting shape and access hard-to-reach areas is giving it new life in today’s manufacturing industry.
Types and Applications
MAF can be divided into three main types, which differ according to the magnetic particles used and therefore have specific areas of application. Among them, magnetic grinding, magnetorheological machining and magnetofluid machining each have their own unique characteristics and application scenarios.
Magnetic grinding
This is a method of applying machining force using a mixed abrasive with 1μm to 2mm iron particles. The process is like using a "magnetic brush", and this flexibility greatly improves its adaptability in free-form external and internal surface processing.
Magnetorheological processing
The technology uses a viscous mixture of micron-sized iron particles and oil. When a magnetic field is applied, this mixture becomes more viscous, thereby changing the direction and magnitude of the processing force. It is particularly suitable for large non-magnetic workpieces. Surface treatment.
Magnetic fluid processing
In this method, processing is performed using a solution containing a magnetic fluid and abrasive particles. This technique can be used in areas that are difficult to reach with traditional methods, such as silicon micro-hole optical components, which are usually not able to be processed using conventional techniques.
In summary, MAF technology has demonstrated its irreplaceable value and advantages in contemporary manufacturing. How will all these developments change our manufacturing industry?
