Automated Polishing of Die Steel Surfaces

An experimental study is presented that investigates the effects of various controllable polishing parameters on the resulting surface, when using a flexible abrasive disk on die steel. The objective is to achieve a robust process that results in a consistent surface finish, the roughness of which can be specified and controlled. Experimental results indicate that the inclination angle of the disk with respect to the workpiece, and the feedrate have optimal values that minimise variability of the surface finish, while the normal force applied to the disk should be used to control nominal surface roughness.