Precision Cutting of Ceramics with Milling Tool of Single Crystalline Diamond

Micro milling tools made of Single Crystalline Diamond (SCD) have been developed to machine micro dies and molds made of ceramics. The milling tools of a cylindrical SCD having many sharp cutting edges are fabricated 3-dimensionally by scanning a laser beam. Flat shape of binder-less tungsten carbide mold was cut with the developed milling tool to evaluate the tool wears and its life. Some micro aspheric molds of tungsten carbide were cut with the milling tool at a rotational speed of 50,000 min-1. The ceramic molds were cut in the ductile mode. By cutting with the milling tool, the form accuracy obtained was about 100 nm P–V and the surface roughness 8 nm Rz.