Optimizing Electrochemical Buffing Control Parameters for Surface Finishing of Ultrahigh Purity Components

Electrochemical buffing technology (ECB) applies electrochemical and mechanical finishing characteristics in the surface finishing process. ECB can buff ultrahigh purity components to make them shine, without leaving residual stress, micro-cracks, and etc. The control parameters of the ECB process include current density, the rate of revolution of the buffing head, the buffing pressure on the surface, the concentration of electrolyte, the buffing time and others. Improper control parameter setting in the process will result in unsatisfactory surface quality. It is necessary to determine optimal control parameters of an ECB process with robust performance that can insure surface quality and process reliability. In this study, parametric analyses were conducted on electrochemical buffing technology.An ECB system with a CNC machine was established. The buffing head was clamped on the tool holder of the CNC machine. It was used on a flat surface for automatic surface buffing. Taguchi′s parameter design approach is employed to evaluate signal-to-noise ratios (SN) given from various levels of these factors. Then, the optimized control parameters will be recognized thus can get the optimal surface buffing, reducing with the lowest variability. The contribution of every factor to the sum of square is calculated. An experiment is performed using the optimal control parameters to confirm the results of the previous experiment. The results reveal that the ECB process yields the desired mirror-like surface.