Miniaturization of injection abrasive water jet machining process

摘要

This contribution presents the possibilities of applying abrasive water jet (AWJ) technology for multi-material micromanufacture. The working principles of injection and suspension AWJ systems are presented. Characteristics of this technology, such as the ability to machine virtually any kind of material and the absence of a relevant heat-affected zone, are given, especially those from which the production of microcomponents can benefit. A few attempts to miniaturize the AWJ machining process are described in the state-of-the-art preview. In order to develop and improve the AWJ as a microtool, a numerical simulation based on the finite element analysis is introduced to evaluate the effect of the size abrasive particles and the process efficiency of microsized AWJ. An ongoing project in which an improved mini AWJ cutting head is being developed, is presented. Finally, the possible fields of application are given, including a case study on the machining of miniaturized heat sinks.