Abstract
Optical components, e.g. lenses for cameras in mobile phones or illumination optics, are produced in high volume by repliation techniques in plastics or glass. Thus, the necessary sequence of process steps comprises all steps from optic design to mold making and the final replication process. Every single step in this process chain is accompanied by high resolution measurement techniques and quality management. An important factor in this process chain is the optical mold making by diamond cutting processes with single crystal diamond cutting tools. The drawback of diamond cutting processes so far was that steels which have very good material properties for replication (temperature resistance and hardness) cannot be machined because a catastrophic diamond tool wear occurs. If these materials are applied for optical mold making a complex process combination of grinding and polishing operations is inevitable. The substitution of this traditional process combination by diamond cutting processes can reduce costs and enhances the possibilities of optical mold making. This paper describes a possible solution for diamond machining of steel molding inserts for the replication of optical components by plastic injection molding and hot pressing of glass. Through a thermo-chemical surface treatment the chemical reactivity of steel and single crystal diamond cutting tool can be minimized. Beside the results of the diamond machining processes the occurring diamond tool wear is discussed. From these results a new process chain for the manufacturing of optical components is deduced. This novel process chain consists of nitrocarburizing the steel molding inserts and a subsequent diamond machining operation by turning or milling. Through the nitrocarburizing process the diamond tool wear can be reduced by three orders of magnitude and the machined molding inserts show an optical surface roughness Sa 10nm. These inserts can directly be applied for the replication of plastics or the pressing of glass which is shown by first application examples.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alschweig, E., et al. “Skalierte Strukturen – Konventionelle Verfahren in der Präzisions- und Mikrobearbeitung”. Tagungsband AWK 24. Aachener Werkzeugmaschinen-Kolloquium, Wettbewerbsfaktor Produktionstechnik, Aachener Perspektiven, Juni 2002: 269-306.
Beck, M., Gäbler, J., Hüntrup, V., Meisel, M., Rothenburg, M., Rübenach, O., Schmütz, J., Schwietering, C., Wenda, A. “Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Mikrozerspanung”. F&M 107, 1999: 64-67.
Brinksmeier, E; Gläbe, R.; Osmer, J.: “Ultra-precision Diamond Cutting of Steel Moulds”. Annals of the CIRP, 55/1, p. 551–554 (2006)
Brinksmeier, E; Gläbe, R.; Osmer, J.: “Diamond Cutting of FeN-Layers on Steel Substrates for Optical Mould Making”. Key Engineering Materials Vol. 438, p. 31–34 (2010)
Casstevens, J.: “Diamond Turning of Steel in Carbon Saturated Atmospheres”. Precision Engineering 5, p. 9–15 (1983)
Chen, Y; Zhang, L.C; Arsecularatne, J.A., Zarudi, I.: “Polishing of polycrystalline diamond by the technique of dynamic friction”, Part 3:“Mechanism exploration through debris analysis”. International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, 47, p. 2282–2289 (2007)
Dong, J.; Gläbe, R.; Mehner, A., Mayr, P.; Brinksmeier, E.: Verfahren zur Mikrozerspanung von metallischen Werkstoffen. German Patent DE 10333860A1, 2003, United States Patent No US7582170B2, 2009
Dong, J.; Hoffmann, F.; KlĂĽmper-Westkamp, H.; Zoch, H.-W.: Influence of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and alloy content on pore formation in the white layer. Conference proceedings of the Nitriding Symposium 2, Las Vegas USA, 18.-19.11.2010
Evans, C.: “Cryogenic Diamond Turning of Stainless Steel”, Annals of the CIRP, 40/1, p. 571–575 (1991)
Gläbe, R.: “Prozess- und Schneidstoffentwicklung zur ultrapräzisen Drehbearbeitung von Stahl”. Dissertation Universität Bremen, Shaker Verlag (2003)
Hoffmann, F.; Kunst, H.; Klümper-Westkamp, H.; Liedtke, D.; Mittemeijer E.J.; Rose, E.; Zimmermann, K.: Stand der Kenntnisse über die Porenentstehung beim Nitrieren und Nitrocarburieren. Proceeding of the 1th European conference “Nitriding and Nitrocarburising”, Darmstadt, p. 105–113, (1991)
Hoffmann, R.; Mittemeijer, E.J.; Somers, M.A.J.: Verbindungsschichtbildung beim Nitrieren und Nitrocarburieren. In: HTM 51, Nr. 3, p. 162–169, (1996)
Hoja, S.; Dong, J.; Klümper-Westkamp, H.; Hoffmann, F. Zoch, H.-W.: Erzeugung diamantbearbeitbarer Verbindungsschichten für die Herstellung von Stahlformeinsätzen. HTM J. Heat Treatm. Mat. 64, p. 215–221 (2009)
Klocke, F.; Dambon, O.; Bulla, B.: “Direct Diamond Turning of Aspheric Steel Moulds with Ultra Precise Accuracy”. Proc. of the 25th Annual Meeting of the ASPE 2010, Atlanta, USA
Lee, W. B.; To, S.; Cheung, C. F.: “Effect of Crystallographic Orientation in Diamond Turning of Copper Single Crystals”. Scripta Materialia, Volume 42/10 (2000), p. 937–945
Michaeli, W.; Blömer, P.; Scharf, M.; Brinksmeier, E.; Rickens, K. “Prägen mikrostrukturierter Kunststofffolien”. Kunststoffe 3, 2006: 151–154.
Moriwaki, T.; Shamoto, E.: “Ultraprecision Diamond Cutting of Hardened Steel by Applying Elliptical Vibration Cutting”. Annals of the CIRP, 48/1, p. 441–444 (1999)
Paul, E.; Evans, C.J.; Mangamelli, A.; Mc Glauflin, M.L.: “Chemical Aspects of Tool Wear in Single Point Diamond Turning”. Precision Engineering 18, p. 4–19 (1996)
Prenosil, B.: Einige neue Erkenntnisse über das Gefüge von um 600°C in der Gasatmosphäre carbonitrierten Schichten. In: HTM 28, Nr. 3, p. 157–164, (1973)
Sanger, G.M. “The precision Machining of Optics”. in: Applied Optics and Optical Engineering. R.S. Shannon, J.C. Wyant (Hrsg.), Vol. X, 1987, Kap. 6: 251–390.
Somers, M.A.J.; Mittemeijer, E.J.: Verbindungsschichtbildung während des Gasnitrierens und des Gas- und Salzbadnitrocarburierens. In: HTM 47, Nr. 1, p. 5–13, (1992)
Acknowledgment
The work is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within the Transregional Collaborative Research Center SFB/TR4 “Process Chains for the Replication of Complex Optical Elements”.
The authors like to thank Dr. Juan Dong, Dr. Andreas Mehner, Dr. Heinrich KlĂĽmper Westkamp, and Prof. Franz Hoffmann from the materials science department of the IWT Bremen for the preparation of the workpieces and for their effective support concerning the thermo-chemical treatment.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this paper
Cite this paper
Brinksmeier, E., Gläbe, R., Osmer, J. (2013). Diamond Machining of Nitrocarburized Steel Molds for the Mass Production of Optical Components. In: Schuh, G., Neugebauer, R., Uhlmann, E. (eds) Future Trends in Production Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24491-9_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24491-9_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-24490-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-24491-9
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)