Micromechanical machining of soda lime glass

Micromechanical machining, which is the mechanical removal of materials using miniature cutting tools, is one of the fabrication methods in the microrealm that has recently attracted a great deal of attention because it has the advantage of being able to machine complex shapes from brittle materials. The most challenging problem in the mechanical machining of brittle material is the fabrication of fracture-free surfaces. To avoid brittle fractures, a thorough investigation is required to find the machining parameters in the ductile cutting regime, which is characterized by plastic deformation of the material when the chip thickness is smaller than the critical value. In this study, cutting forces and surface characteristics of soda lime glass are examined in detail. Conical scratch tests are performed to identify the critical chip thickness, and the cutting forces in the ductile regime are modeled. In addition, coated ball end mill cutters were used to perform machining on inclined soda lime glass to investigate the feed rate effects, up and down milling, and depth of cuts on the surface finish and to examine tool wear.