Electrochemical oxidation assisted micromachining of glassy carbon substrate

Glassy carbon (GC) has merits to be used as mold material for glass molding press because of its superior chemical and thermal properties. However, it is difficult to machine GC mechanically because of its brittleness and hardness. Undesired fractures and cracks are frequently generated on the machined surfaces. A novel micromachining process for precision machining of GC that combines mechanical micromachining and electrochemical oxidation has been developed. In the proposed process, an oxide layer is generated on the GC surface and removed mechanically. In the contact area between the tool and workpiece, the generation and removal of the oxide layer are repeated. A number of experimental results are presented to investigate the machining characteristics and to show the feasibility of the proposed process.