Poly(methyl methacrylate) coating of titanium workpieces to reduce burrs in micro-drilling

Abstract

A technique to reduce burr height in titanium micro-drilling is presented: a poly (methyl methacrylate) coating was applied before machining on the upper and lower surfaces of a titanium specimen (0.5-mm thick). After drilling, a cleaning process (acetone bath) was executed to eliminate the coating, and holes with less burr were obtained. The coating process was executed with a spin-coating machine. To test the efficacy of the technique, two different coating thicknesses (7.9 and 5.4 μm) and two drill bits (0.25-and 0.5-mm diameter) were evaluated. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the holes obtained were performed with scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional microscopy, respectively. The results highlight the efficacy of the technique to reduce the burr height by 70% in coated titanium relative to that in an uncoated titanium sheet.