How to control surface roughness during insulation parts processing of laser equipment?
Release Time : 2025-06-05
The surface roughness of the insulation parts processing of laser equipment directly affects its insulation performance, assembly accuracy and long-term stability. Therefore, it is necessary to finely control it through various process means during the processing. From the grasp of material properties to the selection of processing equipment, from the optimization of tool parameters to the coordination of cooling and lubrication, each link needs to be closely connected to achieve precise control of surface quality.
Material properties are the basic starting point for controlling surface roughness. Different insulating materials such as ceramics, epoxy resins, glass fibers, etc. have significant differences in hardness, brittleness, and thermal conductivity, and the surface forming mechanisms during processing are also different. For example, ceramic materials have high hardness and high brittleness, and are prone to cracking and microcracks during processing, resulting in rough surfaces; while epoxy resin composite materials have good toughness, the presence of fiber reinforcement phases may cause tearing during cutting. Before processing, it is necessary to fully understand the physical and chemical properties of the material and choose a matching processing method. For high-hardness ceramics, grinding is preferred rather than cutting, and the micro-cutting action of abrasive particles is used to gradually remove the material to reduce surface defects caused by brittle fracture; for composite materials, it is necessary to control the cutting speed and feed rate to avoid fiber pull-out to form pits.
The precision and stability of processing equipment are key supports. The formation of surface roughness is closely related to the vibration of the equipment, the accuracy of the spindle rotation, and the stability of the feed system. If there is a gap in the machine tool guide rail and the spindle bearing is worn, the relative position of the tool and the workpiece will fluctuate during processing, resulting in uneven cutting depth, which is directly reflected in the surface ups and downs. Therefore, it is necessary to select high-rigidity machine tools and regularly maintain and maintain to ensure the accuracy of each moving part. For example, the hydrostatic guide rails and air bearing spindles of precision grinders can effectively reduce vibration. With the closed-loop control system to monitor the feed error in real time, the position fluctuation during the processing can be controlled at the micron level, providing a stable processing platform for obtaining low-roughness surfaces.
Tool selection and parameter optimization are the core means. The corresponding tool type and geometric parameters need to be matched in different processing stages. During rough processing, large-diameter, sparse-tooth tools can be used to quickly remove the excess, but excessive cutting force should be avoided to cause material tearing; fine-grained grinding wheels or high-precision milling cutters should be used in the finishing stage to refine the surface texture by reducing the tool radius compensation value and reducing the feed per tooth. Taking grinding ceramic insulation parts processing as an example, the abrasive grain size of diamond grinding wheel directly determines the surface roughness. Fine-grained grinding wheel with mesh size above 800 can significantly reduce the surface roughness value, but the grinding efficiency will also decrease accordingly. It is necessary to find a balance between efficiency and quality. At the same time, the sharpness of the tool is crucial. The worn tool will aggravate the plastic deformation of the material and cause the surface roughness to deteriorate. Therefore, it is necessary to check the tool wear regularly and replace it in time.
Reasonable setting of cutting parameters is the key variable for regulating surface roughness. Cutting speed, feed rate and cutting depth interact with each other and jointly affect the quality of the machined surface. In cutting processing, lower feed rate and cutting depth help reduce the cutting marks left by the tool on the workpiece surface, but if the parameters are too small, it will lead to low processing efficiency. For hard materials, appropriately increasing the cutting speed can make the cutting process smoother and reduce the collapse of the material; while for plastic materials, too high cutting speed may cause cutting heat accumulation, causing the material to soften and stick to the tool, which will deteriorate the surface quality. In actual processing, process tests are required to establish a cutting parameter database for different materials. For example, when processing epoxy resin insulation parts, a combination of medium and low cutting speeds and small feed rates can effectively inhibit fiber tearing and obtain a smooth surface.
The influence of cooling and lubrication conditions on surface roughness cannot be ignored. The cutting heat generated during processing can cause local softening or chemical changes in the material, especially polymer insulation materials are prone to melt adhesion due to high temperature, forming a rough surface. Reasonable cooling and lubrication can take away heat in time, reduce the friction between the tool and the workpiece, and inhibit the formation of built-up edge. For grinding, high-pressure coolant is sprayed from both sides of the grinding wheel and the processing area at the same time, which can effectively flush the grinding chips and detached abrasive particles to prevent them from scratching the processed surface; in cutting, the use of oily cutting fluid or solid lubricant can form a lubricating film between the tool and the workpiece, reduce the friction coefficient, make the cutting process smoother, and thus improve the surface quality.
The planning of the processing route determines the progressive improvement of surface quality. Complex insulation parts processing often requires multiple processes to be completed in coordination, such as a combination of rough milling-semi-finishing milling-finishing grinding-polishing. The rough machining stage is mainly to remove the allowance, allowing a higher surface roughness; semi-finishing gradually corrects the shape and size errors to lay the foundation for finishing; finishing achieves the surface accuracy required by the design through fine cutting or grinding; finally, the polishing process is used to further eliminate micro defects and minimize the surface roughness value. The machining allowance of each process needs to be reasonably allocated. If the error left by the previous process is too large, it is difficult to completely correct it in the subsequent process, which may lead to substandard overall surface quality. For example, if there are large scratches on the surface of ceramic insulation parts processing after rough grinding, the grinding depth needs to be increased during fine grinding to remove them, which not only increases the processing time, but may also cause new defects due to excessive grinding stress.
Quality inspection and feedback mechanism is a closed-loop guarantee for controlling surface roughness. During the processing process, it is necessary to use a roughness measuring instrument to detect surface parameters in real time, such as the arithmetic mean deviation of the profile, compare the detection results with the design requirements, and adjust the processing parameters in time. For batch production, statistical process control methods can be used to conduct comprehensive inspections on the first piece and analyze the stability of processing data. If abnormal fluctuations in surface roughness are found, it is necessary to trace factors such as tool wear, equipment status, and material batches, and restore processing accuracy through process adjustments or equipment maintenance. This dynamic monitoring and feedback mechanism can ensure that the processing process is always under control and achieve continuous and stable control of surface roughness.
Through in-depth understanding of material properties, precise control of processing equipment, optimized combination of tools and parameters, effective coordination of cooling and lubrication, scientific planning of process routes, and closed-loop management of quality inspection, the surface roughness of insulation parts processing of laser equipment can be systematically controlled. This series of process measures not only improves the surface quality of insulation parts processing, but also provides a solid guarantee for the stable operation and long-term reliability of laser equipment by reducing electric field distortion, reducing impurity adsorption, and enhancing assembly accuracy.