Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127
DOI 10.1007/s00170-009-2055-2
SPECIAL ISSUE - ORIGINAL ARTICLE
New tool-workpiece setting up technology for micro-milling
K. Popov & S. Dimov & A. Ivanov & D. T. Pham &
E. Gandarias
Received: 9 June 2008 / Accepted: 8 April 2009 / Published online: 10 May 2009
# Springer-Verlag London Limited 2009
Abstract A major issue in micromilling is the setting up
with the necessary accuracy the work coordinate system on
the machine. The spindle thermal stability during the setting
up procedure make this a very difficult task. Thus, it is
essential to develop new tool setting up technology to
increase the process productivity, reduce machine setting up
times and errors, and at the same time improve the
precision and quality of machined components. The paper
presents a cost-effective and reliable method for setting up
the work coordinate system for micro-milling operations
employing an on-line toolworkpiece voltage monitoring
system. The viability of the proposed method was verified
in a series of experiments conducted on an ultra-precision
micromilling machine centre. The experimental trials
involved the machining of test parts in brass with cutters
100 and 200 m in diameter. The results of these experi-
ments were analysed and compared with the capabilities of
currently available methods and technologies on micro
milling machine tools for condition monitoring and setting
up the working coordinate systems. Finally, conclusions are
made about the effectiveness of the proposed new tool-
workpiece setting up technology for micro milling.
Keywords Micromilling . On-line measuring systems .
Toolworkpiece coordinate system setting up
K. Popov (*) : S. Dimov : A. Ivanov : D. T. Pham
Manufacturing Engineering Centre, Cardiff University,
Cardiff CF24 3AA, UK
e-mail: popovkb@cf.ac.uk
E. Gandarias
Mondragon Goi Eskola Politeknikoa, Mondragon Unibertsitatea,
Loramendi 4,
20500 Arrasate, Spain
1 Introduction
Recent developments in machining technologies and ma-
chine tool designs, in particular micromilling reflects the
constantly increasing requirements towards the accuracy of
the produced components. At the same time, there is a
growing trend for product miniaturisation that leads to
continuous reduction of component feature sizes, and
correspondingly the diameter of the cutters employed in
their machining. In particular, the applications that push
the micromilling technology to its limits are the manufacture
of micro parts for watches, keyhole surgery, housings for
micro-engines, tooling inserts for micro injection moulding
and hot embossing, and housings and packaging solutions
for micro-optical and micro fluidics devices. A common
challenge across all these application areas is the machining
of micro features with dimensions smaller than 100 m.
Many researchers have contributed to the creation of the
currently available process knowledge about conventional
milling. Unfortunately, the size effects are dominant in
micromilling, and therefore it is not possible to benefit
directly from this rich knowledge repository. To advance this
technology it is necessary to study systematically the factors
that affect the process reliability when it is employed for
machining components incorporating micro features.
Micro machining using conventional technologies, such
as milling, present unique challenges in manufacturing.
Cutting forces and tool pressures when the machining is
performed with micro tools, cutter diameters smaller than
200 m, brings a whole new realm of problems. The tool
pressure results from the filling of tool channels with a
workpiece material, e.g. burrs and chips, especially when
drilling operations are performed. Under such conditions,
any significant variations of cutting forces and their
directions may lead to the tool breakage. The spindle must
be dynamically stable in order to minimise its thermal
22
enlargement and tool vibrations. In particular, any vibrations
or run-outs at the tool tip may have adverse effects on the
surface finish and accuracy of the machined micro features.
To limit these negative effects it is necessary to control
as tightly as possible the whole set of machining variables,
associated with all components of Machine tool-Fixture-
cutting Tool-Workpiece System (MFTWS) and the operat-
ing environment, and thus minimising their overall effect
on the machining quality. In regards to the dimensions of
parts and their feature, the relative accuracy in micro
machining has completely new perspectives. While the
feature sizes achievable in micro-milling are down to less
than 100 m, their relative accuracy or machining toler-
ances are in times worse than those routinely attainable in
precision manufacturing. In particular, the relative toler-
ances achievable in ultra-precision machining are in the
range of 10-5 to 10-6 of the features nominal dimensions
while in micro manufacturing 10-1 to 10-2 can be
challenging [1, 2]. Hence, it is necessary to re-think the
meaning of precision in micro machining.
There are several key areas of concern in regard to
MFTWS when machining parts at this scale:
1. Changes in the surrounding environment that affect the
resulting process predictability and repeatability;
2. Vibrations (Internal and External);
3. The MFTWS management;
4. The use of cutting fluids and their dynamics.
Therefore, machine resolution, control, construction and
auxiliary tools all become much more important for the
successful production of micro parts.
There are solutions for minimising uncertainties in
MFTWS when performing micromilling. Examples of such
solutions are Tool Condition Monitoring Systems (TCMS)
that improve the effectiveness of micromilling operations.
Similar approaches together with some existing technical
solutions can be adopted for minimising uncertainties
associated with other sub-systems of MFTWS.
This paper describes a cost-effective solution for setting
up MWCS that adopts a new technique for detecting the
contact between the cutting tool and the workpiece within
MFTWS. The feasibility of this approach is verified
experimentally and conclusions are drawn about the
advantages and disadvantages of this solution.
2 Factors affecting tool-workpiece setting up accuracy
The main problems related to the setting-up of micro milling
operations and the attainment of sub-micron tolerances are:
& The run-out of the cutter-holder assembly. This leads
to changes of the cutting forces during the machin-
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127
ing, which have a detrimental effect on the tool life
and the achievable accuracy, as well as the surface
finish.
& The temperature variations during the machining due to
thermodynamic stability of MFTWS. There are two
types of temperature variations, one associated with the
temperature build-up during one machining operation,
and those caused by performing machining cycles with
different cutters. The thermal expansion of the spindles
is a major factor affecting the resulting part accuracy
[3]. The spindle must be thermodynamically stable in
order to minimize its thermal growth. Also, any
cutting should be preceded by a heating-up stage in
order the spindle temperature to stabilise that can takes
up to 10 min as shown in Fig. 1. To address this
problem new micromilling machines are equipped with
hybrid Automatic Tool Length Measurement (ATLM)
systems which combine the capabilities of contact and
non-contact measuring methods in order to verify the
tool tip position in the sub-micron range regardless of
spindle thermal expansion [4, 5]. In addition, the
machining the cutting
& Limitations of laser tool measurement systems. In
particular, these systems have shown some limitations
when measuring cutting tools with diameters below
50 m. This is associated with the beam spot size used
to carry out these measurements. Additionally, when
conducting measurements between cutting operations
the burrs attached to tools introduce a further uncer-
tainty that can lead to erroneous setting-up values. For
example, burrs of up to 50 m long can be observed on
micro cutters as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, for precise
machining of micro parts, the tools should be cleaned
regularly. In particular, to perform such a cleaning a
60
50
Temperature [C]
40
30
20 d=6 n=30000
d=6 n=5000
d=0,5 n=37000
10
d=0,15 n=39000
d=2 n=24000
0
0.00 5.00 10.00 15.00 20.00
Time [min]
Fig. 1 Temperature change during the spindle, heating-up stage.
Note: spindle temperature readings at a given tool diameter in
millimetres (d) and revolutions per minute (n)
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127
Fig. 2 Burrs attached to a micro
cutter
specially designed ultrasonic bath, depicted in Fig. 3,
has be utilised in this research because the commercial-
ly available are too big. The bath was installed on the
machine table as close as possible to the tool measuring
device, and then connected to the machine control
system to command its activation/deactivation through
a specially developed cleaning cycle. The cleaning
procedure lasts around 10 seconds, and should be
applied prior to any probing cycle in order to obtain
accurate measurements.
All these issues place new requirements on the applied
techniques for setting up Machine tool Working Coordinate
Systems (MWCS) as a means to increase machining
productivity, improve the precision and the quality of the
parts, and ultimately reduce the production costs. Especially,
this is the case when machining complex 3D microstructures
with relatively high material removal rates utilising cutting
tools with diameters less than 200 m [47].
A major problem is the big difference between tools Z-
levels when setting up them using a touch probe at a
Fig. 3 A specially designed ultrasonic bath - a general view
23
spindle temperature of around 25-26C and those measured
at a speed above 20,000 rpm when the temperatures reaches
36-38C, leading to 20 to 30 m thermal enlargements in
Z-direction. Unfortunately, this negative effect cannot be
avoided even by operating micromilling machines in a
temperature controlled environment. Furthermore, the exist-
ing methods for setting up the origins of MWCS for
micromilling have an unacceptably high error along the Z
axis and are effective only when the machined surface is
relative to other surfaces milled with the same cutter
within one operation.
Therefore, more efficient technical solutions are required
for setting up MWCS within the machine coordinate
system, and thus to reduce the uncertainty when performing
micromilling operations. One possible way to achieve this
is to adopt solutions already developed for TCMS [6].
3 Tool-workpiece setting up method
In this research, a method for setting up MWCS is proposed
that employs an existing technical solution for reducing
uncertainty in MFTWS. In particular, the Tool-Workpiece
Voltage Monitoring System (TWVMS) developed for
detecting a tool breakage during micromilling and drilling
described in [8] is adopted for setting up MWCS. Figure 4
depicts the general principles of this system. By creating a
close electrical circuit between the spindle and the
workpiece, abrupt voltage variations during the cutting
process can be detected with a specially designed sensor.
For further processing, the measurements taken are con-
verted into a digital signal and then sent to the CNC
controller. In the proposed method, the same technique is
employed to detect the contact between the cutting tool and
the workpiece, and then the machine CNC readings at the
time of the contact are used to set up the machine origins
along the X, Y, and Z axes. By applying this technique it is
possible to avoid any additional errors from tool run-outs
(Ero) or spindle thermal enlargement (Ete) which are major
sources of uncertainty in MFTWS.
24
+
Z
_
Spindle
Tool holder
SENSOR
Tool
CNC
controller Workpiece
Y
X Table
Fig. 4 The general principle for detecting the tool-workpiece contact
The setting-up of MWCS for each cutting tool includes
the following steps:
1. Selection of appropriate locations on the workpiece to
carry out the setting up operation in all three axes with
cutting tools. It is preferable to select them on surfaces
that will be machined later on. The positions of these
surfaces along the X, Y, and Z axes, Xset, Yset and Zset
respectively, are measured with a touch probe and
recorded for further use. This is because the standard
procedure for setting up machines is performed with
touch probes.
2. Loading in the spindle the cutting tool for which
MWCS should be set up. Next, the tool should be left
running at its normal cutting speed until the spindle
reaches its working temperature. For example, for a
100 m diameter cutter running at 40 000 rpm, 10 to
11 min are required to stabilise the spindle temperature
at approximately 36C (see Fig. 1). Only then the fine
setting up steps can start. It is worth stressing that all
steps for setting up MWCS should be performed in a
temperature controlled environment.
3. The cutting tool is measured using a laser system utilising
standard CNC cycles for calculating the effective tool
radius (Rt) and length (Lt). In this way, it is possible to
minimise uncertainties introduced by the tool-holder
run-out and the spindle thermal enlargement.
4. Fine setting up of the origins in X, Y, and Z axes is
carried out employing the set up shown in Fig. 4. In
sequence, the cutting tool at fast speed approaches the
positions Xset, Yset and Zset recorded in Step 2, and at a
safe distance before reaching them switches to a low
(measuring) feed rate for detecting accurately the
contacts with the workpiece. This distance is usually
in the range of 10 to 20 mm in order to avoid any
collisions. In this way, the origins along the X, Y, and Z
axes are set up and thus MWCS is fully defined for
carrying out machining using this particular cutting
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127
tool. If the tool is changed Steps 1 to 4 have to be
repeated in order to assure the required repeatability
and overall accuracy.
A source of uncertainty in the proposed approach for
setting up MWCS is the delay with which the system is
triggered when the tool contacts the workpiece. For most
CNC controllers this is within one millisecond. It is
possible to reduce this time by employing special input
connectors, though the cutting tools will always over-
shoot before the latched position is reached. This so called
over-travel is a source of uncertainty, Eot, in MFTWS. To
minimise it, the feed rate selected for performing the setting
up operation should be sufficiently low to assure that Eot <<
Ero in the X-Y plane and Eot << Ete in the Z direction.
Another important consideration in determining this feed
rate is the avoidance of tool breakage before the system is
triggered.
4 Experimental set-up
The experimental validation of the proposed method for
setting up MWCS was carried out on a micromilling centre,
KERN HSPC 2216 a machine tool with a polymer concrete
mono-block frame specially designed for improved static
and dynamic rigidity, and for vibration absorption. Thus, the
validation of the system was conducted in machining
conditions typical for micro-cutting operations, in particular
the existence of high frequency vibrations, high spindle
speeds, and very low cutting forces. The centre has an
integrated BLUM-NOVOTECH GmbH laser system for
measuring the cutting tools. The system allows cutting tools
with diameters down to 30 m to be measured with a
repetition accuracy of 1 m.
\In this research, all tests were carried out using tungsten
carbide end-mill cutters with diameters from 100 to 200 m.
The torch probe utilised in this research was set up using the
measuring parameters values prescribed by the manufac-
turer, and then recorded for further use in the machine
Programmable Logic Controller. In particular, a 35.00 Mini
touch probe was employed with a 50 mm stylus for which the
trigger force was 0,7 N along the X and Y axes, and 4,5 N in
Z while the recommended probing speed was from 250 mm/
min to 5,000 mm/min [8]. The carried out preliminary tests
showed that the optimal probing speed for setting MWCS
would be 250 mm/min in order to minimise the contact
force and also increase the measurement accuracy. This is
very important because micro-tool are utilised as touch
probes. The only disadvantage of using the lowest possible
probing speed is the increase of the measurement time.
The micro tools can suffer from considerable deflections,
and therefore a limit for the cutting forces was set up. Using
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127 25

Z Y A set of experiments was conducted to assess the

a b
d four steps of the proposed approach for setting up MWCS
c X
e Xset, Yset and Zset, were measured with a touch
Fig. 5 Pin measurements
the calculations done in [9] and data from a previous
research [8] this limit was set to 30 mN for all tools used in
this research. However, in spite of setting up such limits the
tools over-shots, and thus deflect before the reference force
is reached. This tool pre-travel prior to reaching the latched
position of the machine is a source of uncertainty and is a
function of the trigger force. At the same time, the pre-
travel values have to be small enough in order not to break
the tool used for measurement and setting up.
To realise the proposed method for setting up MWCS a
prototype TWVMS was fixed on the spindle of the
micromilling centre and connected directly to the machine
CNC controller as described in [8]. To monitor the setting
up operation on-line a digital oscilloscope with a sampling
interval of 1 s was connected to the sensor as shown in
Fig. 4. Before commencing the experiments, the oscillo-
scope was calibrated for registering accurately the contact
between the tool and the workpiece.
sensitivity and repeatability of the proposed system. The
were performed as follows:
Step 1: The initial position along the X, Y, and Z axes,
probe and saved for further use.
Step 2: All cutting tools were left running at their normal
cutting speed for 10 min until the spindle reached
its normal operating temperature.
Step 3: The cutting tools are measured with the BLUM
system employing the standard CNC cycles for
calculating tool radius, Rt, and length, Lt.
Step 4: The set-up in Fig. 4 is employed to detect the
contact between the cutting tool and the workpiece.
The initial speed of the tool was 2000 mm/min, and
10 mm before reaching Xset, Yset or Zset the feed
rate was lowered to 60 mm/min to detect the
contact with the workpiece. This feed rate was
selected based on the existing recommendation for
conducting measurements with contact probes
[10]. In addition, it is worth mentioning that the
off-set distance of 10 mm was more than sufficient
for the machine to decelerate to its measuring
speed of 60 mm/min.
Finally, to assess the accuracy and repeatability of the
proposed approach square pins as shown in Fig. 5 were
machined with tungsten carbide end mills. MWCS was set
up in the centre of the pins employing the proposed four
step procedure. The deviations of the milled pins in the X-Y
plane were measured on the machine with an optical
microscope installed in the spindle, while in the Z direction
a white light profiling microscope was used.

Table 1 Experimental results

5 Experimental results
Pin Tool (m) x +x y +y z
The capabilities of the proposed method for setting up
1 100 1.8 1.7 1.2 1.2 2.9
MWCS were tested on machining a brass workpiece. Two
2 200 1.0 4.2 1.1 1.1 3.0
sets of five square pins with nominal dimensions 100 m
3 100 1.8 1.2 1.2 1.5 3.0
100 m100 m were machined with a 100 m and
4 200 1.9 0.2 1.2 1.9 2.9
200 m end mills, respectively. Before the milling of each
5 100 1.8 1.2 2.2 1.8 2.9
pin the cutting tool was changed and the proposed four
6 200 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.5 2.9
steps procedure was followed to set up MWCS in the
7 100 1.8 2.3 2.2 1.7 2.9
centre of the pins. The machining parameters for the two
8 200 1.6 1.2 1.1 1.3 2.9
cutters were S=40000 rpm and F=100 mm/min, and S=
9 100 1.0 1.3 1.2 1.5 3.0
30000 rpm and F=120 mm/min, respectively. The devia-
10 200 1.0 1.1 2.2 1.7 2.9
tions of the pins side walls from the MWCS origins in the
Mean 1.47 1.55 1.48 1.52 2.93
X-Y plane and their heights in Z were measured as shown
Deviation 0.41 1.07 0.50 0.26 0.05
in Fig. 5. The experimental results are provided in Table 1.
x=|a50|, +x=|b50|, y=|c50|, +y=|d50| and z=|e100| in These machining trials were used to assess the accuracy
micrometers and repeatability of the proposed system for setting up
26 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127

Table 2 Accuracy data about the touch probe and the BLUM system on the selected spindle speed and therefore it would be
Touch probe error - Manufacturer data difficult to compensate fully this error. In addition, the
errors associated with the use of the BLUM system should
Pre-travel (m) Over-travel (m) be taken into account when analysing the accuracy of the
machined two sets of pins.
X Y Z X Y Z
For comparison the conventional method accuracy data
3.28 3.28 3.28 3.028 3.1 2.93
measured on machine used in this experiment were
BLUM system error
repeated and the results are shown in Table 2. The accuracy
X Y Z shown in it is achievable with a touch probe and BLUM
1 1 1 laser measurement system. The over-travel values in the
table are determined by the reaction time of the CNC
controller as shown in Fig. 6 while the pre-travel values by
the touch probe calibration. The data is provided by their
MWCS. As expected the error in Z was much bigger due to manufacturers [10, 11]. In particular, if the conventional
the temperature enlargement of the spindle, Ete. In method for setting up MWCS was employed the accuracy
particular, Ete of the cutting tools after each change was of the machined pins would have been affected by
measured using the BLUM system, and in all the cases it uncertainties introduced by both the touch probe and the
was in excess of 20 m. As already stated, Ete is dependent measurements of the cutting tools with the BLUM system.
In addition, the trials undertaken demonstrated that the
proposed method can be used reliably for setting up WMCS,
in particular there were no tool breakages during the trials.
V

tover-travel 6 Conclusions

Tool A new solution to improve reliability and reduce uncer-

tainty in micro machining operations was proposed. A
prototype system was developed and then tested experi-
tpre-travel tover-travel mentally to validate its accuracy and repeatability. The
undertaken trials demonstrated the feasibility of the
Touch Probe proposed new method for setting up MWCS. Based on
the obtained results the following conclusions can be made:
taccelerating ttrigger t
& The proposed method does not introduce any con-
a) straints in regards to the cutting tool movements and
workpiece/part overall shape. It is possible to apply it
for machining complex 3D cavities;
& The sensitivity of the system is sufficient to detect
accurately the contact between the cutting tool and the
workpiece. By applying the proposed method it is
possible to minimise uncertainties that the spindle
thermal enlargement and touch probe run-outs intro-
duce. The tests undertaken showed that the system is
reliable and convenient for use by machine operators;
& The proposed method can be applied only when
conductive materials are machined. This limitation can
be eliminated by covering the workpiece with a thin
metallic film the thickness of which is known in
advance;
& The proposed methodology was used to improve the
b) precision and the quality of the machined micro
Fig. 6 a) Machine tool table movement diagram b) pre-travel components, and ultimately to reduce the machining
variation plot for a touch probe [10, 11] costs in micro manufacturing.
Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 47:2127
Acknowledgments The research reported in this paper is funded
under the MicroBridge programme supported by the Welsh Assembly
Government and the UK Technology Strategy Board, the EPSRC
Programme The Cardiff Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre.
Also, it was undertaken within the framework of the FP6 Network of
Excellence Multi-Material Micro Manufacture: Technologies and
Applications (4M).
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