An Investigation of Factors Affecting the Surface Generation of Magnetic Field Assisted Mass Polishing (MAMP) of Freeform Surfaces

Magnetic field assisted mass polishing (MAMP) is a novel machining process which makes use of a rotational magnetic field applied outside an annular chamber which drives the magnetic abrasives to impinge on and remove materials from the workpiece mounted inside the chamber. The MAMP a highly efficient and effective machining process which can simultaneously polish a number of freeform workpieces with good surface finishing. However, the surface quality and surface generation of the MAMP are affected by a few process factors. Moreover, our understanding of the surface generation of MAMP is still far from complete. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the factors affecting the surface generation, material removal, and hence the surface roughness in MAMP of freeform surfaces. Based on the results of polishing experiments, a set of optimized polishing parameters are obtained. It is also found that the surface roughness of the freeform workpiece can be significantly reduced by more than 50% in a couple of ten minutes.