Machining Characteristics of Micro-Flow Channels in Micro-Milling Process

□ This article presents a method for machining micro-flow channels on dies for precise and effective mass production of metallic bipolar plates of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). To find an effective method for machining micro-flow channels on dies of metallic bipolar plates, machining experiments are conducted on micro-flow channels using a micro-scale milling process under various machining conditions. Machining variables are axial depth of cut, feed per tooth, supply/non-supply of cold wind, and single-tool/multi-tool cutting processes. The machining process is monitored by acquiring cutting force signals and acoustic emission signals while conducting the experiments. Surface conditions of machined micro-flow channels are analyzed. In this study, a cold-wind process is better than other processes in terms of burr generation and surface roughness. A cold-wind process with multi-tool process has a particularly better surface quality than the other processes.