Flat Lapping Perfects Finishes For Precision Parts

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Games-Toys )



For certain classes of work, especially in precision tool and gage making and in manufacturing, you need to use highly refined finishing processes to obtain accurate dimensions and true surfaces. You cannot get the degree of accuracy and quality of finish required from ordinary machine grinding. In order to obtain an extremely fine quality of finish and a true surface conforming to a given dimension, you need to do lapping, either flat lapping, valve lapping, barrel lapping or other types.

You’ll need lapping machines that let you use flat lapping tools. The surface finish that you produce from flat lapping cannot be duplicated in any other way. The pattern of finish you produce is more multidirectional than, say, machine grinding. Any other finish yields largely unidirectional patterns. Industry experience indicates that multidirectional finish has a longer life.

Your lapping machines for producing plane surfaces are usually made of cast iron. Theoretically, any material that can withstand the pressure you apply during flat lapping can be lapped. You can lap hard, stable materials such as glass, hard steels and certain ceramics with conventional lapping compounds and cast iron laps. For flat lapping harder materials like carbide, you will need very hard abrasives in your lapping compounds and stronger lapping machines.

You use flat lapping to produce precision surfaces for silicon wafers. You must be particularly careful when lapping the material for silicon wafers, as the wafers will undergo another process known as wafer dicing. Dicing puts the silicon wafers through dicing machines and dicing saws. If your process is faulty, the dicing process may cause chipping of the silicon wafers.

Other products that undergo lapping are the piston rings in your car, certain components in fiber optics and other precision surface parts. Flat lapping tools may be used in mechanical seals or sharpening the blades in your garden mower.


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