Mirror Bench 3d Model & Completed Build

In late 2010, the CBC Machine Shop was asked to design and build a Variable Angle Light Reflectance Module (VALRM) that could be used with a faculty member’s existing Vertex FT-IR Microscope.  The science behind the VALFR is part of a patent being devloped by Dr. Karl Booksh of the Chemistry Department.  The mechinical design aspect of the project was placed in the hands of the CBC Machine Shop to develop.

The limitations of the design were as follows:

• The module must fit inside the existing spectrometer opening
• The rotating mirrors must move in concert with each other with little to no backlash
• The cradle for the prism must be able to be adapted to fit various prism geometries
• There had to be an idicator which display the precise angle of the rotating mirrors
• Although initially rotating the mirrors would be done manually, the ability rotate the mirrors via servo motor must be built in

Although you wouldn't know it by looking at it, this carbide end mill is coated in diamonds.

Here are a few pictures of the CBC machine shop milling a pocket into a piece of 1/4″ thick Quartz glass. Although the Chemistry department does have a well equipped glassblowing shop, their tooling is designed to handle heating, blowing, and tempering of glassware. When it comes to machining different materials, this is an area of expertise for the CBC Machine Shop.

Glass, much like ceramics is one of the harder materials to machine. In order to put this .010″ deep pocket into the quartz plate, a diamond coated, solid carbide end mill had to be used.

No 3 factors are more critical to determining the finish of a machined part than Speed, Feed, and Temperature. This is much more important when machining tougher materials like glass.  The 2-axis CNC milling machine, recently purchased by the chemistry department, allowed for precise control of the speed ind feed via the machine’s servo motors. The temperature was controlled by using a steady flow of flood coolant on the part. Because harder materials like glass can crack easily, the speed was increased, while the feed was retarded to 0.5″ per minute. This resulted is a slow, controlled cut, which created a fine glass powder as opposed to large glass chunks.

Kennametal has always been a leader in cutting tool technology, often developing new coatings, cutter materials, and shapes to improve tool life.  Now they’ve turned their attention to the other critical component of quality machining, coolant, and they seem to be just as determined to lead the industry in this area of technological advances.

With their newly developed PCT (Precision Coolant Technology) aptly named Beyond Blast, they’ve flipped the way we generally think of keeping tooling cool.  Instead of the typical point of contact coolant system, which has become an industry standard, the Beyond Blast  system focuses primarily in cooling the back of the tool.   Kennametal claims tool life improvements of up to 300% compared to traditional flood coolant systems, and after watching their pretty impressive video, it’s hard not to be a believer.  To find out exactly how it works, watch the video above, or you can read the company’s Beyond Blast Brochure.