Published papers

The optical micro-resonator, which stores light at a certain spot, is essential in next-generation optical signal processing. Single-crystal calcium fluoride (CaF2) is the most suitable material for this element. Ultra-precision turning is a feasible fabrication process for CaF2 optical micro-resonators. In this study. the influence of subsurface damage on the resonator's Q factor is investigated. TEM observation shows that the subsurface layer of up to several tens of nanometers thickness changed from single-crystal to polycrystalline morphology due to ultra-precision turning. A diamond tool with 0 degrees rake angle results in lower damage than one with negative rake angle, which enhances the resonator's performance. (C) 2015 CIRP.

To realize ultimately efficient signal processing, it is necessary to replace electrical signal processing circuits with optical ones. The optical micro-resonator, which localizes light at a certain spot, is an essential component in optical signal processing. Single-crystal calcium fluoride (CaF2) is the most suitable material for a highly efficient optical micro-resonator. The CaF2 resonator can only be manufactured by ultra-precision machining processes, because its crystal anisotropy does not allow the application of chemical etching. However, the optical micro-resonator's performance depends definitely on the surface integrity. This study investigated the relationship between surface quality after ultra-precision machining and crystal anisotropy. Firstly, crack initiation was investigated on the (1 0 0), (1 1 0), and (1 1 1) planes using the micro-Vickers hardness test. Secondly, brittle-ductile transition was investigated by orthogonal cutting tests. Finally, cutting performance of cylindrical turning was evaluated, which could be a suitable method for manufacturing the CaF2 resonator. The most difficult point in cylindrical turning of CaF2 is that the crystalline plane and cutting direction vary continuously. In order to manufacture the CaF2 optical micro-resonator more efficiently, analysis was conducted on crack initiation and surface quality of all crystallographic orientations from the perspective of slip system and cleavage. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In a fine mold manufacturing process, the polishing process plays an important role in enhancing the surface quality and is performed manually by skilled workers. However, there are many problems such as decrease in skilled workers, health hazards due to scattering of abrasives, and difference in surface quality due to difference in the proficiency. Hence, there is a strong demand for automation of the polishing process at present. In this research, a robot polishing system that applies macro-micro mechanism is proposed. The functional polishing module of the end effector is developed and attached to the hand of the serial link robot. Tool path and posture are controlled in a serial link robot as a macro mechanism, and polishing force and tool rotation speed are controlled in the developed polishing module as micro mechanism. This mechanism ideally controls position, force, and rotation speed at the same time. An interlocking control system for position and force has already been constructed. In this paper, we constructed gravity compensation and evaluated the force control performance of the constructed system. Through the evaluation, the followability of the estimated reaction force to the command force and the validity of the actual force behavior measured by the force sensor were evaluated.

Wideband cutting force sensing is a key technology for process monitoring. Sensorless cutting force estimation using the internal servo information of a machine tool with ball-screw-driven stages has been studied owing to its high maintainability and ease of introduction. In the motor current-based method, the cutting force estimation along the stationary axis is challenging, and the estimation bandwidth is significantly limited owing to the low sensitivity of the motor current in the high-frequency range. The dual-inertia model-based load-side disturbance observer (LDOB) can estimate the cutting force along the stationary axis using the relative position obtained from the rotary and linear encoder. The linear encoder is installed relatively near the cutting point and has a high sensitivity in the high-frequency range. However, this approach is not applicable to machine tools with complicated structural dynamics. To address this challenge, we propose a cutting force estimation method along the stationary axis using the Kalman filter (KF) based on a multiple inertia model derived solely from the relative position signal. The dynamics, depending on the stage position of the feed drive, were modeled using linear interpolation. Through end milling tests, we confirmed that the cutting force estimation accuracy along the stationary axis of a machine tool with multiple inertia dynamics was significantly improved by the proposed method compared to the current and LDOB-based methods. Additionally, the wideband cutting force could be estimated using the proposed method for bandwidths up to 1000 Hz.

Directed energy deposition (DED), a metal additive manufacturing process, has attracted considerable attention in various industries. In the past few decades, several studies have been conducted to enhance the quality of DED-produced parts. Various studies on powder- and laser-based DED have focused on eliminating the residual pores in the fabricated parts, which decrease the mechanical strength. In contrast, this study aims at intentionally increasing the residual pores to produce a porous structure in metals called as foam metal, which realizes lightweight and excellent energy absorption properties. Despite being well-known for their attractive properties, Foam metals are rarely used due to the technical difficulties in their production, which requires special devices and entails considerable cost. The simplicity of the DED process makes it a promising approach to fabricate foam metals because it is easy to foam at the fabrication point by mixing a foaming agent, such as titanium hydride (TiH2), into the material powder. This study evaluates the DED foaming process in stainless steel alloys by changing the particle size of the TiH2 powder and the scanning path to obtain the optimal conditions for enhancing the pore dispersion. The experimental results show that, when the particle size of the foaming agent is small, the number of pores and their distribution increases. Additionally, the mechanical properties are also evaluated through compression experiments, and the energy absorption ratio is found to be higher when a smaller foaming agent is used.

In the large-aperture lens manufacturing, not only high surface quality but also high productivity is required. From this perspective, Reaction-Induced-Slurry-Assisted grinding (RISA grinding), in which cerium oxide slurry is supplied instead of using general grinding fluid, has been developed to achieve high surface quality at high removal rate. However, the surface profile error becomes large due to chemical removal effect of the cerium oxide slurry. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate the influence of the chemical removal effect on the surface profile error using AE signals and servo current signals in RISA grinding. First, relation between dwell time and removal depth is analyzed by conducting a basic grinding test without the workpiece rotation. The result shows that the actual removal depth increases with increase of dwell time despite applying the constant depth of cut. Then, zero-cut RISA grinding test is conducted. It is found that the removal process proceeds even though zero-cut grinding, and its removal rate varies according to the wheel feed rate. Furthermore, the amount of cerium oxide abrasives adhered to the grinding wheel can be estimated from the AE signals and servo current signals.

Electoadhesive (EA) gel can be applied to various mechatronics devices because it provides more degrees of freedom in mechanical design than other functional materials. While case studies have revealed much about these devices, the knowledge attained is still not integrated. We assembled new structured and controllable transmission and braking elements by fixing EA gel on plain and/or winding surfaces. This paper summarizes the characteristics of these devices from experimental findings on the initial pressure on the EA gel surface. The results showed that it is important for the initial pressure to be stable at approximately 0.5–1 kPa.

A more accurate and more efficient grinding method for optical glasses is demanded as high-resolution imaging devices become more popular. We propose a reaction-induced-slurry-assisted (RISA) grinding method as a chemical mechanical grinding method using cerium oxide slurry instead of ordinary coolant. In this study, the grinding performance of RISA grinding for BK7 optical glass is experimentally evaluated from the viewpoints of sub-surface damage and repeatability of ductile regime grinding at various wheel feed rates. From the grinding tests, RISA grinding causes less sub-surface damages and successfully generates ductile regime surface repeatedly under 3.0 mm/min wheel feed rate.

We demonstrate the all-precision-machining fabrication of ultrahigh-quality-factor (Q) crystalline optical microresonators. The obtained Q exceeds 100 million for both magnesium fluoride (MgF2) and calcium fluoride (CaF2) materials. This constitutes the highest Q factor obtained for whispering gallery mode crystalline microresonators fabricated solely by ultra-precision machining. We also achieve octave-wide optical parametric oscillation using an MgF2 resonator fabricated with a computer-controlled machining process. This method readily enables advanced dispersion engineering for optical parametric oscillation and makes it possible to explore microcavity nonlinear optics and quantum optics without the need for skilled manual polishing techniques.

Additive manufacturing (AM) allows objects to be designed and formed directly from three-dimensional data. Directed energy deposition (DED), an AM method, can produce near net shape parts, which can reduce lead time and material waste, resulting in lower costs. From the growing interest in vehicle electrification, usage of AM technology for functional materials such as soft magnetic materials has been attracting attention. Performance indicators of soft magnetic materials are high saturation polarization, high susceptibility, and low coercivity. These properties depend on microstructure and crystal texture. In this research, experiments were carried out to find ideal process parameters of DED using two soft magnetic materials, FeSi and FeCoV. Crystal orientation of both materials showed anisotropic properties with columnar grains in the build direction. Six process parameters, laser power, feed rate of nozzle head, dwell time, rotational speed of disc in powder pod, powder supply rate, and carrier gas speed were adjusted to perform a screening test. It was found that dwell time and powder supply rate have a large influence on the shape of deposit. Also, higher deposit density is achieved by higher laser power and lower feed rate. Consequently, optimal process parameters of both FeSi and FeCoV deposits were obtained.

This study aims to automate the removal of entangled chips in manufacturing environments using a mobile manipulator. Despite advancements in factory automation technology, this task often necessitates manual intervention. Accordingly, this study proposes a deformable chip model (based on a reconfigurable mass-spring system per frame), incorporating visual chip tracking data and force reactions. Consequently, to evaluate the removal state, an efficient removal strategy is derived by defining the instantaneous stiffness and energy absorption rate. Validation of system performance through two removal tests demonstrates the feasibility of automating entangled chip removal, contributing to enhanced operational efficiency in fully automated production lines.

Tool fracture detection is important to avoid tool breakage and ensure cutting accuracy. However, conventional tool condition monitoring methods use additional sensors that are expensive, increase the failure rate, and reduce the machine-tool stiffness. This study proposes a novel in-process method to detect tool fracture based on disturbance observer theory. It uses only servo information in a ballscrew-driven stage control system. Furthermore, a rotational digital filter is developed and applied to drilling tests to enhance the detection accuracy. Tool fracture is successfully detected without any external sensors by the proposed method. © 2014 CIRP.

A polishing process, which is the final process in manufacturing optical elements, takes a long time and often depends on the experience and special skills. Development of a skill-less polishing technology and automation of its process, therefore, has been required. One of the most promising polishing technologies is Field-assisted Fine Finishing (FFF). In this study, an Electro-rheological Gel (ERG) polishing pad with one-sided patterned electrodes is developed to polish insulator materials and, moreover, a novel electric-field-assisted polishing technology for glass polishing is proposed applying this pad. The ERG polishing pad can change the polishing performance according to applied electric field due to "electro-adhesion effect". Results of several polishing tests show that the performance of polishing a blue glass can be controlled by applying electric field to the ERG pad.

A new functional material known as electro-rheological gel (ERG) that shows variable surface friction according to an applied electric field has been developed. It was expected that ERG could be applied to a machine element to transfer force such as a clutch, because the frictional force of an ERG surface can be controlled electrically. The one-sided patterned electrodes, which arrange anode and cathode alternately on the insulating base, are proposed in a recent study of electro-rheological fluid (ERF) to simplify the structure of the wiring. In this study, one-sided patterned electrodes are applied to an ERG, and the influence of the pattern of the one-sided electrode on the ERG effect is numerically and experimentally investigated. Based on the results of the electrode pattern evaluation, an ERG clutch element, using the one-sided electrodes with an optimum electrode pattern, is developed and the performance of the ERG clutch is experimentally evaluated. The ERG clutch shows excellent performance for static and dynamic characteristics in torque transfer, and an ERG clutch unit shows excellent performance for torque transfer The transferred torque changes widely and smoothly in response to the variation of the applied electric field. (c) 2007 Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved.

Industrial networks with a database for collecting and analyzing machine information and process data are key components in production systems in Industry 4.0. In proposed IoT system, more than 300 temperature sensors were externally mounted on a carbon fiber reinforced plastics structured machine tool, and their information was collected through an OPC UA server. Based on impact tests, the spindle nose temperature was found to be correlated to the variation in compliance and resonant frequency. The carbon fiber reinforced plastics structured spindle shaft conducted heat quickly and induced a temperature increase after stopping spindle rotation. The IoT system of a temperature-analysis environment can contribute to experimental analysis and model construction for intelligent technologies.

Additive and subtractive (Add/Sub) manufacturing processes are increasingly being combined to produce complex parts with unique geometries and properties. However, the design of such combined processes is often challenging as it requires a deep understanding of the interaction between the different processes. On the other hand, digital twin (DT) technology has become a powerful tool in recent years for optimizing manufacturing processes. This article explores the use of the digital twin technology for a holistic process planning of combined additive and subtractive processes. The article describes the integration of laser metal deposition (LMD) and micro-milling prediction models of resulting geometry (width and height), hardness, and surface roughness into the digital twin. This is then used for combined process planning to achieve different target values regarding resulting geometry and surface roughness. For the planning of this combined process chain, further criteria such as tool life, energy, and process time are considered in the optimization, showing the potential for sustainable and efficient production. Sensorless cutting force estimation is also used to detect small cutting forces, with the potential to use this as a soft sensor for roughness estimation. The measured width, height, and roughness as a result of the process parameters suggested by the optimization algorithms showed a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 4, 17, and 16%, respectively.