The coating process of high-performance films, such as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries, requires high-precision transfer of settling slurries and high-viscosity liquids. This is because transfer characteristics, such as low pulsation and quantitative transfer, have a significant impact on product performance. A single eccentric screw pump is used in this coating process. One component of this pump is a complex-shaped rotor. This rotor must have high precision and high wear and chemical resistance. To meet these requirements, we applied alumina ceramics, which have excellent material properties, to the constituent materials of the rotor. However, for rotors with hypocycloid-curved surfaces, the development of a highly accurate and highly efficient alumina ceramic grinding technology is required. For this purpose, a free-form grinding technique using small-diameter ball-end electroplated diamond grinding wheels is indispensable. In the present study, we carried out machining experiments on inclined and cylindrical surfaces as a basic study. As a result, by increasing the grinding speed with a high-speed spindle, we achieved the precision, quality, and efficiency required for rotor grinding.

1. [1] I. Inasaki, “Grinding of hard and brittle materials,” CIRP Annals, Vol.36, No.2, pp. 463-471, 1987.
2. [2] I. Inasaki, “Speed-stroke grinding of advanced ceramics,” CIRP Annals, Vol.37, No.1, pp. 299-302, 1988.
3. [3] I. Inasaki, “High-efficiency grinding of advanced ceramics,” CIRP Annals, Vol.35, No.1, pp. 211-214, 1986.
4. [4] H. Isobe, N. Sasada, K. Hara, and J. Ishimatsu, “Visualization of stress distribution by photoelastic method under ultrasonic grinding condition,” Int. J. Automation Technol., Vol.13, No.6, pp. 736-742, 2019.
5. [5] Z. Yang, L. Zhu, B. Lin, G. Zhang, C. Ni, and T. Sui, “The grinding force modeling and experimental study of ZrO₂ ceramic materials in ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding,” Cera. Int., Vol.45, pp. 8873-8889, 2019.
6. [6] M. Mekata, M. Ota, K. Yamaguchi, and K. Egashira, “Mirror finishing of SiC by UV-assisted constant-pressure grinding,” Int. J. Automation Technol., Vol.13, No.6, pp. 749-755, 2019.
7. [7] Y. Ito, N. Sugita, T. Fujii, T. Kizaki, and M. Mitsuishi, “Precision machining of sintered zirconia ceramics by high-speed milling,” Int. J. Automation Technol., Vol.11, No.6, pp. 862-868, 2017.
8. [8] T. W. Liao and G. Sathyanarayanan, “On the study of creep feed grinding of alumina,” Int. J. Mach. Tools Manufact., Vol.34, No.2, pp. 257-276, 1994.
9. [9] W. H. Tuan and J. C. Kuo, “Effect of grinding parameters on the reliability of alumina,” Mater. Chem. and Phys., Vol.52, pp. 41-45, 1998.
10. [10] W. H. Tuan and J. C. Kuo, “Effect of abrasive grinding on the strength and reliability of alumina,” J. of the Euro. Cera. Soc., Vol.18, pp. 799-806, 1998.
11. [11] T. Sornakumar, M. V. Gopalakrishnan, V. E. Annamalai, R. Krishnamurth, and C. V. Gokularathnam, “CBN wheel grinding of alumina and partially stabilized zirconia ceramic-ceramic composites,” Int. J. of Ref. Met. & Har. Mat., Vol.13, pp. 181-185, 1995.
12. [12] J. Wu, J. Cheng, C. Gao, T. Yu, and Z. Guo, “Research on predicting model of surface roughness in small-scale grinding of brittle materials considering grinding tool topography,” Int. J. of Mech. Sci., Vol.166, 105263, 2020.
13. [13] X. Liang, B. Lin, and X. Liu, “Analysis of local features of engineering ceramics grinding surface,” Measurement., Vol.151, 107205, 2020.
14. [14] A. Zahedi, T. Tawakoli, and J. Akbari, “Energy aspects and workpiece surface characteristics in ultrasonic-assisted cylindrical grinding of alumina-zirconia ceramics,” Int. J. Mach. Tools Manufact., Vol.90, pp. 16-28, 2015.
15. [15] X. Zhang, L. Yang, Y. Wang, B. Lin, Y. Dong, and C. Shi, “Mechanism study on ultrasonic vibration assisted face grinding of hard and brittle materials,” J. of Manufact. Proc., Vol.50, pp. 520-527, 2020.
16. [16] Y. Ren, C. Li, W. Li, M. Li, and H. Liu, “Study on micro-grinding quality in micro-grinding tool for single crystal silicon,” J. of Manufacturing Processes, Vol.42, pp. 246-256, 2019.
17. [17] B. K. Sato, J. G. Lopes, A. E. Diniz, A. R. Rodrigues, H. J. de Mello, L. E. A. Sanchez, P. R. Aguiar, and E. C. Bianchi, “Toward sustainable grinding using minimum quantity lubrication technique with diluted oil and simultaneous wheel cleaning,” Trib. Int., Vol.147, 106276, 2020.
18. [18] M. Li, T. Yu, R. Zhang, L. Yang, Z. Ma, B. Li, X. Wang, W. Wang, and J. Zhao, “Experimental evaluation of an eco-friendly grinding process combining minimum quantity lubrication and graphene-enhanced plant-oil-based cutting fluid,” J. of Clea. Prod., Vol.244, 118747, 2020.
19. [19] A. S. Awale, M. Vashista, M. Zaheer, and K. Yusufzai, “Multi-objective optimization of MQL mist parameters for eco-friendly grinding,” J. of Manufacturing Processes, Vol.56, pp. 75-86, 2020.
20. [20] M. V. Garcia, J. C. Lopes, A. E. Diniz, A. R. Rodrigues, R. S. Volpato, L. E. A. Sanchez, H. J. Mello, P. R. Aguiar, and E. C. Bianchi, “Grinding performance of bearing steel using MQL under different dilutions and wheel cleaning for green manufacture,” J. of Crea. Prod., Vol.257, 120376, 2020.
21. [21] H. Esmaeli, H. Adibi, and S. M. Rezaei, “An efficient strategy for grinding carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite using minimum quantity lubricant,” Cera. Int., Vol.45, pp. 10852-10864, 2019.
22. [22] S. Qu, Y. Gong, Y. Yang, Y. Sun, X. Wen, and Y. Qi, “Investigating minimum quantity lubrication in unidirectional C_f/SiC composite grinding,” Cera. Int., Vol.46, pp. 3582-3591, 2020.
23. [23] A. Pratap and K. Patra, “Combined effects of tool surface texturing, cutting parameters and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) pressure on micro-grinding of BK7 glass,” J. of Manufact. Proc., Vol.54, pp. 374-392, 2020.
24. [24] A. Choudhary, A. Naskar, and S. Paul, “Effect of minimum quantity lubrication on surface integrity in high-speed grinding of sintered alumina using single layer diamond grinding wheel,” Cera. Int., Vol.44, pp. 17013-17021, 2018.