Ultrasonic machining (USM) technology has been developed for the manufacturing of cost-effective and quality-assured precision parts. USM technology is available for several industrial applications such as in optics, semiconductors, aerospace, and automobiles. The past decade has seen a tremendous increase in the use of engineering ceramics in structural applications. The excellent thermal, chemical, and wear resistance properties of these materials can be realized because of recent improvements in the overall strength and uniformity of advanced ceramics. The USM process is an efficient and economical means for the precision machining of brittle materials. The process is non-thermal, non-chemical, and non-electric and hardly creates changes to the mechanical properties of brittle materials. This paper describes the characteristics of the micro-hole machining of Al2O3 ceramics in the ultrasonic longitudinal vibration mode with a tungsten carbide tool. The effects of various parameters of USM, including abrasive particle and machining force on the material removal rate (MRR) and tool wear are presented and discussed.

Keywords: Ultrasonic machining, Material removal rate (MRR), Tool wear, Abrasive particle introduction.