ultrasonic machining is a non-traditional machining method which uses acoustic energy to cut or shape hard and brittle material. This method uses high frequency sound vibrations of about 20kHz to 60kHz that are generated by an embedded transducer inside a tool bit and amplified by an impedance matching network. These wave vibrations erode the material and enable removal of material at the very fine scale.
Historically the USM technique has been used in various industries such as medical, dental and aerospace. However, the application of USM in these industries has been limited due to its moderately low efficiency and material removal rate. The primary factor that affects the development of more efficient USM tools is the cutting efficiency of the wave. This consists of the wave length, acoustic intensity and wave velocity. To improve on the cutting efficiency of the wave, engineers have designed a new type of USM tool, the Contral Radial Horn (CRH).
The CRH is an improved version of the traditional USM tool which incorporates a closed cavity at the center of the horn and four blades. This design makes use of the reflective properties of sound to bounce off the material and create a better cutting efficiency than the traditional USM tool. The blades have been designed to cut the material in four directions simultaneously which significantly increases the material removal rate. The tool head has been designed to maximize the transmission of the sound wave and increase the acoustic intensity and wave length.
Furthermore, engineers have also developed a unique adaptive USM technology that utilizes fuzzy logic to optimize the USM process and significantly enhance the overall throughput. This technology adjusts the tool position in real time based on the material properties and optimal cutting paths. By implementing this technology, the material removal rate of the USM process is further increased by up to five times.
Another advancement in the USM technology is the incorporation of artificial intelligence. This allows machines to learn and identify which cutting paths are most efficient and modify the parameters accordingly. This helps to further enhance the efficiency of the USM process.
Overall, the development of more efficient tools, the implementation of advanced technologies such as adaptive USM and artificial intelligence have resulted in an ultra-fast material removal rate which is up to five times faster than the traditional USM process. This has opened up exciting possibilities for manufacturers and industries which rely heavily on machining processes. USM is now an important technology, which is being implemented in various industries including aerospace, automotive, medical and dental.
