The main goal of this project is to develop an industrial module capable of ultrasonic assisted drilling/grinding, being this system independent, removable and transportable to be used in any machine tool using standards cone adaptors such as HSK. The main innovation objectives of the project are the development of specially designed components: transducer, sonotrode, generator, tool-holder and electrical transmission.
The ultrasonic assisted machining can be used in conventional machines if the suitable subsystems are included. Thus the development of portable and independent ultrasonic systems enhances the capabilities and flexibility of the conventional machine tools, allowing the development of some works more efficiently and making possible to develop new machining operations in special materials within the same machine tool.
Therefore, the project innovations are:
- Improvement of the actual ultrasonic assisted drilling systems by means of specially designed components: transducer, sonotrode, generator, tool-holder and electrical transmission.
- Evolve the actual system to be used also in precision grinding processes.
- Reduction of the size of the ultrasonic assisted drilling/grinding system by the design of resonant structures with custom converters and the use of higher working frequency.
- Custom designed generator to reduce the cost of the systems, by limiting the capabilities of the generator to the identified needs.
- Improvement of the electrical transmission system in order to increase the flexibility and to reduce the size, by changing the contact slip rings transmission system to a non-contact inductive transmission system.
The project has ended in an induction powered ultrasonic tool holder that has been tested in drilling and grinding applications, having the following benefits:
- Lower axial forces in ultrasonic assisted drilling of Ti6Al4V compared to conventional drilling.
- More diameter accuracy when ultrasonic drilling of Ti6Al4V.
- Lower axial forces in ultrasonic assisted drilling of aluminium.
- Better surface roughness values when ultrasonic assisted grinding of hardened steel 1.2344.
