Improvement of Mechanical Strength of Micro Tools by Controlling Surface Characteristics

Micro tools require exceptionally high surface characteristics, controllable to the nanometer level. In this research, a desk-top machine capable of achieving excellent surface quality and machining accuracy in micro machining was developed, and micro tools of various shapes were prepared using the newly developed machine. The machine successfully prepared pyramidal micro tools with tips of 2μm. The surface of the prepared micro tools was observed closely using some advanced Instruments, and the fracture strength of the micro tools was evaluated by Indentation tests using a nano-Indentation testing Instrument. These observations showed a clear and quantitative correlation between the nanometer-level surface quality and mechanical strength. In another test, thin metal sheets were punched using the fabricated micro tool. The resulting holes were found to be of exceptionally high quality.