Machining with micro-size single crystalline diamond tools fabricated by a focused ion beam

A study was carried out to understand the physics of micro-scale mechanical machining (henceforth referred to as 'micro-machining') with a micro-size tool using a five-axis ultra-precision machine. A micro-size single crystalline diamond (SCD) tool with sharp cutting edges fabricated by a focused ion beam (FIB) was employed to orthogonal-machine four materials (three polycrystalline metals with various grain sizes and one amorphous metal plating material). Since the wealth of knowledge of macro-machining cannot be successfully used in micro-machining, this study contributes to the understanding of the physics of mechanical machining with micro-size tools.