Experimental investigation on unidirectional abrasive flow machining of trim die workpiece

Abrasive flow machining (AFM) processes are mainly used for deburring, polishing, and radiusing of surfaces and edges utilizing a viscoelastic abrasive media. The cutting edges of abrasive grits present in viscoelastic media play a significant role for removal of the burrs and irregularities present on the surface profile of the component. In industry, the AFM process is widely used form of edge and surface-conditioning with primary application in components with internal cavities inaccessible by traditional finishing tools. In this paper, a novel setup of unidirectional AFM process is proposed for finishing the industrial component. Response surface methodology has been used to plan and conduct the experiments, so that the influence of input process variables including finishing time, extrusion pressure, and viscosity of media can be observed on improvement in surface roughness (ΔRa) and material removal. The finished surfaces of components are characterized for microstructure study using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction technique analysis.