Fabrication of a sol–gel polishing tool for green manufacturing of the seal stone

A newly developed sol–gel polishing tool consisted of gel balls is fabricated for green manufacturing of the seal stone, the processing performance and degradability of the sol–gel polishing tool are evaluated in this paper. Different forming and drying ways have been conducted to achieve small size gel balls. The processing performance of the sol–gel polishing tool is investigated by the surface roughness Ra and surface morphology of seal stone. The degradability of the sol–gel polishing tool is analyzed through the surface morphology and Fourier transform infrared spectra of gel balls in different environments. Results show that a sol–gel polishing tool consisted of gel balls with a sphere size of 3 mm2 or less is successfully mass prepared using the chosen method. A glossy and smooth seal stone surface can be obtained after processing by the sol–gel polishing tools. And the gel balls can be disposed in the recovery tank with water and bacteria for degradation to avoid environmental pollution and recover abrasive particles. Therefore, the application of sol–gel polishing tools in the field of seal stone precision machining would advance further development of seal stone craft and bring great economic and social benefits.