High Precision Fabrication of an Innovative Fiber-Optic Displacement Sensor

Abstract

AbstractThis study presents the high precision fabrication technique, employed to manufacture a 3D conical grating, used as the reflector element, for a fiber-optic displacement sensor. To get high performance in terms of the surface quality, as well as a dimensional precision, the surface of the reflector must be a polished-mirror surface. To do so, a high precision turning machine along with aluminum alloy were the technical choices made. Two prototypes with different geometric dimensions, have been fabricated using the same machining strategy. Single crystal diamond tool was chosen, to obtain high surface roughness. The followed machining procedure was divided into two main parts; the first part achieves several cuts, to get the desired dimensions, and the last cut is deduced to get the desired nanometric roughness. Good results have been obtained, which validates the followed machining procedure.