Advances in Rotary Ultrasonic-Assisted Machining

Abstract

Rotary ultrasonic-assisted machining (RUAM) processes have been recognized as leading, non-traditional, high-precision machining processes that have been recently developed to machine a vast range of advanced, hard-to-machine, brittle materials like reinforced composites, ceramics, and metallic alloys to a very high surface finish in an efficient and cost-effective manner. As the field of materials engineering further progresses in search of materials with very high hardness and resistance to wear for use in the biomedical, energy, aerospace, automobile, and optical industries, so too must the machining processes progress in order to fulfill the demand for manufacturing the components. RUAM processes have been shown to reduce cutting forces and improve tool life during machining of very hard and brittle materials so far. Therefore, from the very first implementation of ultrasonic energy for higher-quality machining in the late 1920s to today’s advanced computer numerical control RUAM 5-axis machining centers, this review examines the development history, the working mechanisms, and the critical performance of each RUAM process, which influence the process outputs. The advancements, applications, limitations, and future perspective of RUAM processes are also discussed in detail with the aim of providing clear insight into the future of RUAM, for further development and to extend the range of its applications.