LAUSR

This paper presents the test rig and machining tests of a new assisted toolholder (ATH) used for ultraprecision machining. The ATH is composed of a piezoelectric actuator to perform the displacement of the diamond tool, a capacitive sensor to perform displacement feedback, and a PID controller for position correction. The control system corrects the effects of hysteresis inherent to piezoelectric crystals, and any positioning errors. The bench tests were performed (without material removal) with different input signals: sine, square, triangular, and sawtooth waves. Sinusoidal and square signals were used in the machining tests. The input (supplied by user) and output (from the ATH) signals obtained during displacement bench tests were compared to analyze the integrity of the displacements generated as a function of time. The machining tests performed in AISI 6000 aluminum showed the great precision, and effectiveness of the mechanical design and ATH control system accuracy.