The polishing of molds and dies using a compliance tool holder mechanism

The effects of imposing compliance on reducing polishing force variation are studied in this paper. A tool holder that may provide various degrees of compliance is designed and used to attach an electric hand grinder to the spindle of a machine center. The hand grinder drives polishing rings in a polishing process. Experiments based on Taguchiʹs method are performed to determine the effects of the following factors: horizontal feed rate, spring constant, rotation speed of the hand grinder, abrasive particle size, and type of polishing rings (plastic or brass). These effects may be explained by utilizing a simplified rolling/sliding model, and a two-degree-of-freedom dynamic model. Experimental results show that imposing compliance in the tool holder can reduce surface roughness, and up to certain limits, both force variation and surface roughness reduce with increasing spring constants.