An Experimental Study of the Abrasive Water Jet Micro-Machining Process for Quartz Crystals

Abstract

An experimental study of the machining process for micro-channels on a brittle quartz crystal material by an abrasive slurry jet (ASJ) is presented. A statistical experiment design considering the major process variables is conducted, and the machined surface morphology and channelling performance are analysed to understand the micro-machining process. It is found that a good channel top edge appearance and bottom surface quality without wavy patterns can be achieved by employing relatively small particles at shallow jet impact angles. The major channel performance measures, i.e. material removal rate (MRR) and channel depth, are then discussed with respect to the process parameters. It shows that with a proper control of the process variables, the abrasive water jet (AWJ) technology can be used for the micro-machining of brittle materials with high quality and productivity.