A novel free-form transducer for the ultra-precision diamond cutting of die steel

For diamond cutting of die steel, it has been shown that ultrasonic vibration-assisted cutting can reduce the chemical wear of diamond tool due to the discontinuous contact between the cutting tool and the workpiece. In this paper, a novel structure of transducer is designed by using free-form surface for ultrasonic vibration-assisted ultra-precision turning die steel. It has two interesting characteristics: The vibration direction of cutting tool tip can be changed by altering vibration frequencies; it can produce an elliptical vibration with only longitudinal vibration actuator. In addition, the structure of this transducer is simple and compact. Finally, several experiments were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of this system by diamond ultra-precision turning of STAVAX steel to a mirror surface.