Fundamental investigations into the micromilling of a biomedical grade polymer

Abstract

The demand for polymer micromachining has been rapidly growing for a number of years in various diverse applications. Polymer components are generally produced by moulding; however, in some instances machining may be required as an alternate or supplementary process. Components often require high surface finishes and excellent dimensional accuracy, meeting these specifications demands an increased understanding of material behaviour and cutting performance during micromachining. The intrinsic material properties such as low elastic modulus and poor thermal characteristics can often make the processing of polymer components extremely challenging. A further obstacle is that machining strategies employed are often modifications of those used when dealing with metallic or wooden materials. These heuristic solutions make structured examination and comparison of machining outcomes difficult.