Abstract: According to the deformation of copper thin-wall part in micro milling, a mathematical model of the milling force was established. The method of quadrilateral thin plate element FEM was used to predict the deformation caused by the cutting force. Experiments with diamond coated cutters were carried out to the validate the feasibility of the model and the precision of the deformation prediction. Optical Microscope (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to observe the milled surface. Results show that the proposed mathematical model and analysis method can effectively predict the milling deformation of copper thin-wall parts. There is a close relationship between the load position and the thin-wall deformation. The cutting deformation increases quickly with the decrease in the thickness of the thin wall.

Key words: machanical design, cutting deformation, finite element method(FEM), thin-wall, micro milling