A method and device for realizing extremely low damage processing of metal matrix composite materials

Abstract

The present invention belongs to the technical field related to ultra-precision machining, and discloses a method for realizing extremely low damage machining of metal-based composite materials, comprising: in the first processing stage, i.e., the selective performance field assisted cutting process, the type of composite material is quickly identified, and the laser switch is controlled to realize in-situ laser assisted machining of hard and brittle particles, and ordinary diamond cutting machining of soft metal matrices; in the second processing stage, i.e., the atmospheric plasma polishing process, radio frequency voltage is applied to the composite material to repair the sub-surface cracks and pits remaining after the selective performance field assisted cutting, thereby realizing extremely low damage or damage-free machining of the composite material. The present invention also discloses a corresponding device. Through the present invention, the whole process ultra-precision machining of hard and brittle particle composite materials can be realized efficiently and with high quality, while having the advantages of compact structure, easy control and high degree of automation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field related to ultra-precision machining, and more specifically, relates to a method and device for achieving extremely low damage machining of metal-based composite materials. Background Art

[0002] Silicon-based materials, such as single-crystal silicon and silicon-aluminum composites, offer advantages such as high hardness, low thermal expansion coefficient, and excellent wear resistance. They are widely used in the manufacture of key optical components for precision optics, aerospace, and defense optical systems. As core components in products, the performance and service life of silicon-based devices are crucial to the overall quality of the product, placing higher demands on the precision and integrity of the machined surfaces. These requirements require not only smooth and consistent surfaces with nanometer-level or higher surface roughness, but also minimal or no surface damage.

[0003] For example, silicon-aluminum composites are a typical particle-reinforced metal-based composite material, made from single-crystal silicon particles and an aluminum metal matrix through multiple processes such as sintering and melting. They are also called silicon-aluminum alloys. The higher the single-crystal silicon content, the better the wear resistance, the lower the specific gravity, and the better the expansion coefficient, fluidity, and crack resistance. However, due to the difference in properties between the plastic aluminum matrix and the brittle silicon particles, the processing of silicon-aluminum composites becomes extremely difficult. Low machining accuracy, poor machined surface integrity, and severe tool wear have severely limited the widespread application of silicon-based composites.

[0004] Selective laser field-assisted machining (SFAM) combines diamond cutting technology, laser in-situ machining, micron-level high-speed identification, and laser high-frequency control for ultraprecision machining of composite materials. Laser-assisted machining can heat and soften hard and brittle particles in composite materials, modify the material, and increase the critical ductile-brittle transition depth. Conventional diamond machining is used for the soft metal matrix in composite materials to avoid surface damage caused by laser radiation. SFAM enables selective machining of different regions of composite materials in different ways, meeting the machining requirements of different materials while ensuring machining quality and accuracy, thus addressing the difficulties inherent in ultraprecision machining of composite materials.

[0005] However, further research shows that when selective performance field assisted processing technology is used to process the above-mentioned silicon-aluminum composite materials, it is not only easy to cause the cutting force and cutting temperature to increase during the processing, thereby reducing the cutting performance of the composite materials, but it may also cause increased sub-surface damage to the composite materials and reduce the retention of surface accuracy.

[0006] Accordingly, in order to achieve high-precision, low-damage ultra-precision manufacturing of particle-reinforced metal-based composites after selective performance field assisted processing, it is urgent to develop a method and device for achieving extremely low-damage processing of metal-based composites, which can be used to repair sub-surface damage of composites after selective performance field assisted processing, so as to achieve the purpose of extremely low-damage or even damage-free manufacturing of composites. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In response to the above defects or needs of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and device based on selective performance field assisted and atmospheric plasma polishing, wherein by continuing to perform atmospheric plasma polishing on the hard and brittle particle composite material after selective performance field assisted processing and achieving targeted control of its polishing process, it is possible to effectively repair the sub-surface damage of the composite material after diamond cutting, and achieve extremely low damage or even damage-free processing of the composite material; the present invention further improves the entire equipment structure and multiple key modules of its supporting composite processing system, and accordingly can achieve high-efficiency and high-quality full-process ultra-precision processing of hard and brittle particle composite materials, and at the same time has the advantages of compact structure, easy control and high degree of automation, and is therefore particularly suitable for processing and manufacturing occasions such as hard and brittle particle reinforced metal-based composite materials.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, according to one aspect of the present invention, a method based on selective performance field assisted and atmospheric plasma polishing is provided, characterized in that the method and apparatus are used to achieve extremely low damage or damage-free processing of hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composite materials, and successively include a first processing stage and a second processing stage, wherein:

[0009] In the first processing stage, or selective performance field-assisted cutting (SPF), the hard and brittle particles and the soft metal matrix of the composite material are quickly identified. Different signals are then used to control the laser switch of the laser in situ assistance, so that the laser in situ assistance is used for processing the hard and brittle particles, while the laser is turned off and a conventional diamond cutting process is performed when processing the soft metal matrix.

[0010] In the second processing stage, that is, the atmospheric plasma polishing process, the composite material after the selective performance field assisted processing is applied with a radio frequency voltage, and the active atoms react chemically with the atoms on the surface of the composite material to repair the sub-surface cracks and pits remaining after the selective performance field assisted cutting, thereby achieving extremely low damage or damage-free processing of hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composites.

[0011] As a further preference, in the above-mentioned selective performance field assisted cutting process, the parameters of the laser beam are preferably adjusted, and the heating temperature of the hard and brittle particles under different laser parameters is controlled, thereby increasing the plastic cutting depth of the hard and brittle particles to reduce the surface roughness, and at the same time, the residual stress of the processed surface is reduced by controlling the laser power.

[0012] As a further preference, in the above-mentioned selective performance field assisted cutting process, it is preferred to achieve rapid micron-level identification of the composite material, and use the identified soft metal matrix material signal to control the laser shutdown to achieve ordinary diamond cutting of the soft metal matrix.

[0013] As a further preference, in the above-mentioned atmospheric plasma polishing process, an inductive coupling process is preferably used to control the flow rates of plasma gas, auxiliary gas and reaction gas, and ensure that the plasma etching rate remains consistent when etching hard and brittle particles and soft metal substrates.

[0014] As a further preference, in the above-mentioned atmospheric plasma polishing process, it is preferred to control indicators such as the plasma removal depth and the initial temperature of the composite material surface, wherein it is preferred to establish a plasma removal function distribution to achieve control of the removal depth.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a corresponding device is also provided, characterized in that the device includes a selective field assisted processing unit and an atmospheric plasma polishing unit, wherein:

[0016] For the selective performance field assisted processing unit, it includes an X-axis element, a laser base, a support plate, an adjustment table, a micron-level high-speed recognition module, a spindle, a diamond tool module and a laser in-situ auxiliary module, wherein the X-axis element is located inside the machine tool and is used to move the entire selective performance field auxiliary unit in the X direction; the laser base is installed on the X-axis element and is used to install the laser in-situ auxiliary module and the support plate; the support plate is installed above the laser base and is used to fix the adjustment table; the adjustment table is installed and fixed on the support plate and is used to adjust the angle of the micron-level high-speed recognition module so that its recognition area is located in front of the processing area of ​​the diamond tool module; the micron-level high-speed recognition module includes a high-speed recognition camera for identifying the material category of the composite material as the workpiece, thereby transmitting the signal to the energy field loading control module and controlling the laser switch of the laser in-situ auxiliary module, turning on the laser when hard and brittle particles are identified, and performing laser in-situ assisted processing, and when a soft metal matrix is ​​identified, turning off the laser of the laser in-situ auxiliary module, and performing ordinary diamond cutting through the diamond tool module;

[0017] For the atmospheric plasma polishing unit, it includes a CNC five-axis motion module, a radio frequency adapter, a rectangular tube and an electric spark igniter, wherein the CNC five-axis motion module is composed of an X-axis assembly, a Y-axis assembly, a Z-axis assembly, an A-axis assembly and a C-axis assembly, and is used to provide five-axis motion for the workpiece after completing selective performance field assisted processing; the electric spark igniter is installed on the X-axis assembly, and is used to ignite and discharge the plasma gas in the rectangular tube; the rectangular tube is installed on the radio frequency adapter, and the radio frequency adapter is controllably connected to the radio frequency power supply, thereby using high-frequency oscillation to provide alternating current for the plasma torch, and adjusting so that all the power of the radio frequency power supply is loaded on the coil of the plasma torch, thereby ensuring that sufficient energy is obtained for work.

[0018] As a further preference, the atmospheric plasma polishing unit preferably uses a cradle and a mechanism to realize the predetermined trajectory movement of the workpiece and achieve precise motion control.

[0019] As a further preference, the above-mentioned atmospheric plasma polishing unit is preferably also equipped with a protective working chamber and an exhaust gas treatment module, wherein the protective working chamber is used to prevent the leakage of processing exhaust gas and internal high-frequency electromagnetic field, and the exhaust gas treatment module is located outside the protective working chamber, and is used to detoxify the toxic gas after plasma processing and then discharge it into the atmosphere.

[0020] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by the present invention have the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0021] Beneficial effects:

[0022] (1) The present invention fully analyzes the inherent characteristics and processing requirements of hard-brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composite materials. By continuing to perform atmospheric plasma polishing on the hard-brittle particle composite materials after selective performance field assisted processing and achieving targeted control of the polishing process, it can effectively solve the problems of poor surface quality and short tool wear life of conventional cutting, repair the surface defects of hard-brittle particle composite materials after diamond cutting, and achieve extremely low damage or even damage-free processing of composite materials;

[0023] (2) The selective performance field assisted processing technology designed by the present invention further adopts a meter-level high-speed recognition module, a laser in-situ auxiliary module, a diamond tool module, etc. to realize different processing methods when processing the matrix and hard and brittle particles. That is, by identifying the material type of the composite material, ordinary diamond cutting technology is used when processing the soft matrix, and laser in-situ auxiliary technology is used when processing the hard and brittle particles. The selective performance field assisted processing technology can achieve efficient and high-quality removal of hard and brittle composite materials, greatly improve the processing surface quality and processing efficiency compared with traditional cutting, and reduce tool wear;

[0024] (3) The atmospheric plasma polishing process designed by the present invention further adopts inductively coupled plasma technology. By controlling the rates of plasma gas and reaction gas, the removal rate of different materials during plasma polishing is controlled to be the same, thereby realizing the removal of the mechanical damage layer of hard and brittle composite materials after selective performance field assisted processing, and achieving ultra-precision manufacturing with extremely low damage or even no damage;

[0025] (4) The present invention also improves the entire equipment structure and multiple key modules of its supporting composite processing system, which can accordingly achieve ultra-precision processing of hard and brittle particle composite materials throughout the entire process with high efficiency and high quality, while having the advantages of compact structure, easy operation and high degree of automation. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for processing and manufacturing occasions such as hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composite materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a process flow chart of a method for achieving extremely low damage processing of metal matrix composite materials according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is a diagram for exemplarily showing the mechanism of selective laser in-situ assisted surface damage suppression according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a diagram of a selective laser in-situ assisted device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 is a diagram for exemplarily showing the principle of surface defect removal by atmospheric plasma polishing according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the atmospheric plasma polishing process according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a diagram of an atmospheric plasma polishing processing device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein:

[0033] 1-X-axis component, 2-laser base, 3-support plate, 4-adjustment table, 5-micron-level high-speed recognition module, 501-high-speed recognition camera, 6-spindle, 7-workpiece, 701-aluminum substrate, 702-silicon carbide particles, 703-small cracks, 704-large pits, 705-large cracks, 8-diamond tool module, 801-diamond tool, 802-laser beam, 803-laser heating area, 9-laser in-situ auxiliary module, 10-Y-axis assembly, 11-C-axis assembly, 12-A-axis assembly, 13-X-axis assembly, 14-Z-axis assembly, 15-RF adapter, 16-electric discharge igniter, 17-rectangular tube, 18-workpiece after selective performance field-assisted processing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only intended to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0035] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but rather merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments derived by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper" and "lower" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientations or positional relationships in which the products of the present invention are conventionally placed when in use, or are the orientations or positional relationships conventionally understood by those skilled in the art. These are merely for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a process flow chart of the method for realizing extremely low damage processing of metal matrix composite materials according to the present invention. Figure 1 The present invention will be explained in more detail.

[0038] The method is used to achieve extremely low damage or damage-free processing of hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composites and comprises a first processing stage and a second processing stage in succession, wherein:

[0039] In the first processing stage, or selective performance field-assisted cutting (SPF), the hard and brittle particles and the soft metal matrix of the composite material are quickly identified. Different signals are then used to control the laser switch of the laser in situ assistance, so that the laser in situ assistance is used for processing the hard and brittle particles, while the laser is turned off and a conventional diamond cutting process is performed when processing the soft metal matrix.

[0040] In the second processing stage, that is, the atmospheric plasma polishing process, the composite material after the selective performance field assisted processing is applied with a radio frequency voltage, and the active atoms react chemically with the atoms on the surface of the composite material to repair the sub-surface cracks and pits remaining after the selective performance field assisted cutting, thereby achieving extremely low damage or damage-free processing of hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composites.

[0041] More specifically, the process principle of the method of the present invention is as follows: under ordinary cutting processing, large cracks and large pits will be generated on the surface of the composite material due to the peeling and plowing of silicon particles. Under selective performance field assisted processing, different processing methods are used for hard silicon particles and soft matrix respectively, which will reduce the number and size of surface pits and cracks. After atmospheric plasma polishing processing, surface defects and residual stresses can be eliminated, achieving high-efficiency, low-damage or even damage-free processing.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown in the diagram of the surface damage suppression mechanism of the selective laser in-situ assisted embodiment of the present invention, ordinary diamond cutting mainly consists of a workpiece 7 and a diamond tool 801. Figure 3 The large pits 704 and large cracks 705 shown in the figure do not form large pits 704 and large cracks 705 on the surface of the workpiece 7 after selective performance field assisted processing, but a small number of small cracks 703 will be formed. The high-speed recognition camera 501 is used to identify different materials in the workpiece 7. When the identified material is silicon carbide particles 702, it will be fed back to the energy field loading high-speed control module to control the laser generator to generate a laser beam 802. A laser heating area 803 will be formed in the area irradiated by the laser beam 802. By heating the silicon carbide particles 702, the processing surface defects can be reduced and the tool wear can be reduced. Laser heating is not used for the aluminum substrate 701, and the substrate aluminum 701 will not be adhered. While improving the surface quality, the processing efficiency is also improved, and efficient and high-quality manufacturing is achieved. However, there will still be mechanical processing stress and sub-surface damage on the surface.

[0043] According to another aspect of the present invention, a corresponding device is also provided, which includes a selective field assisted processing unit and an atmospheric plasma polishing unit, wherein:

[0044] For the selective performance field auxiliary processing unit, it includes an X-axis element 1, a laser base 2 support plate 3, an adjustment table 4, a micron-level high-speed recognition module 5, a spindle 6, a diamond tool module 8 and a laser in-situ auxiliary module 9, wherein the X-axis element 1 is located inside the machine tool and is used to move the entire selective performance field auxiliary unit in the X direction; the laser base 2 is installed on the X-axis element 1 and is used to install the laser in-situ auxiliary module 9 and the support plate 3; the support plate 3 is installed above the laser base 2 and is used to fix the adjustment table 4; the adjustment table 4 is installed and fixed on the support plate 3 and is used to adjust the micron-level The angle of the high-speed recognition module 5 is such that its recognition area is located in front of the processing area of ​​the diamond tool module 8; the micron-level high-speed recognition module 5 includes a high-speed recognition camera 501, which is used to identify the material category of the composite material used as the workpiece, thereby transmitting the signal to the energy field loading control module and controlling the laser switch of the laser in-situ auxiliary module 9. When hard and brittle particles such as silicon carbide particles 702 are identified, the laser is turned on to perform laser in-situ assisted processing, and when a soft metal matrix such as an aluminum matrix 701 is identified, the laser of the laser in-situ auxiliary module is turned off, and ordinary diamond cutting is performed through the diamond tool module 8.

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the micron-level high-speed recognition module is installed on the adjustment table to realize high-speed recognition of the workpiece material. By quickly identifying the material type of the workpiece to be processed during the processing, and sending the identified information to the laser in-situ auxiliary module, it is used to control the laser switch, perform laser softening at hard and brittle particles to reduce the cutting force of the particles, improve the surface processing quality, turn off the laser at the soft matrix, and perform ordinary diamond cutting processing, which can avoid surface damage and tool wear caused by the softening of the soft metal matrix, and realize efficient, low-damage selective field-assisted processing of the workpiece.

[0046] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the laser in-situ auxiliary module is used to realize the change of laser beam parameters, control the heating and temperature rise of hard and brittle particles under different laser parameters, so that the plastic cutting depth of hard and brittle particles is greatly improved, the surface roughness is reduced, the laser power is controlled to reduce the residual stress of the processed surface, and the sub-surface damage of the workpiece and tool wear are suppressed, and laser in-situ assisted diamond cutting of composite materials is performed.

[0047] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the diamond tool module is installed in front of the laser in-situ auxiliary module. When the laser irradiates the soft substrate, the metal substrate will heat up rapidly, causing the metal substrate to overheat, and the hard and brittle particles therein will be more easily peeled off. At the same time, the overheated substrate material will adhere to the rear side of the tool, causing the tool to wear rapidly. The composite process adopts a micron-level high-speed recognition module, and the recognized substrate material signal is used to control the laser to shut down, realizing ordinary diamond cutting of the soft substrate, reducing tool wear, and achieving low-damage manufacturing of composite materials.

[0048] For the atmospheric plasma polishing unit, it includes a CNC five-axis motion module, a radio frequency adapter 15, a rectangular tube 16 and an electric spark igniter 17, wherein the CNC five-axis motion module is composed of an X-axis assembly 13, a Y-axis assembly 10, a Z-axis assembly 14, an A-axis assembly 12 and a C-axis assembly 11, and is used to provide five-axis motion for the workpiece after completing selective performance field assisted processing; the electric spark igniter 17 is installed on the X-axis assembly 13, and is used to ignite and discharge the plasma gas of the rectangular tube 16; the rectangular tube 16 is installed on the radio frequency adapter 15, and the radio frequency adapter 15 is controllably connected to the radio frequency power supply, thereby using high-frequency oscillation to provide alternating current for the plasma torch, and adjusting so that all the power of the radio frequency power supply is loaded on the coil of the plasma torch, thereby ensuring that sufficient energy is obtained for work.

[0049] More specifically, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Y-axis assembly 10, the C-axis assembly 11, the A-axis assembly 12, the X-axis assembly 13, the Z-axis assembly 14, the RF adapter 15, the rectangular tube 16, the electric spark igniter 17, and the workpiece 18 are located inside the protective working chamber, the Y-axis assembly 10 is located at the bottom, the C-axis assembly 11 is located above the Y-axis assembly 10 to achieve the rotational movement of the C-axis, the A-axis assembly 12 is located above the C-axis assembly 11 to control the rotational movement of the workpiece 18 along the A-axis direction, and the X-axis assembly 13 is located above the workpiece 18 to control the Z-axis The component 14 moves linearly along the X direction, wherein the electric spark igniter 17 is installed on the left side of the X-axis component 13, and is used to ignite and discharge the gas in the rectangular tube 16, wherein the rectangular tube 16 is installed on the RF adapter 15, and the RF adapter 15 is connected to the power supply, and together with the power supply constitutes a RF power supply system. The RF power supply provides AC power to the plasma torch through high-frequency oscillation. By adjusting the RF adapter 15, all the power of the RF power supply is loaded on the coil of the plasma torch, thereby ensuring that the workpiece 18 obtains sufficient energy to maintain the stable operation of the entire plasma generating device.

[0050] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the atmospheric plasma polishing unit can use a cradle mechanism to achieve a predetermined trajectory of the workpiece, perform efficient and uniform material removal, achieve precise motion control, and utilize a protective working chamber to prevent leakage of processing exhaust gas and internal high-frequency electromagnetic fields, thereby facilitating exhaust gas recovery for post-processing.

[0051] More specifically, the gas supply module is located outside the protective working chamber and includes a gas cylinder, a control valve and a flow meter, which are used to realize the delivery and control of plasma gas, auxiliary gas and reaction gas. The inductively coupled plasma processing technology is adopted to control the flow of plasma gas, auxiliary gas and reaction gas through the flow meter and control valve, and control the plasma to keep the rate consistent when etching soft matrix and hard and brittle particles, so as to achieve plasma processing with no mechanical action on the surface of the composite material, no subsurface damage and high removal rate.

[0052] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, plasma can be excited by a plasma torch and an induction coil, and the consumption of cooling gas can be reduced by controlling the ratio of the inner and outer diameters of the rectangular tube. The rotating airflow formed by the tangential air inlet in the rectangular tube can be used to stabilize the excited plasma, establish a plasma removal function distribution, and control the material removal depth to achieve low-damage or even zero-damage manufacturing of the surface and sub-surface of optical components.

[0053] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a set of atmospheric plasma processing equipment based on inductive coupling can be designed and constructed to achieve efficient, rapid and damage-free manufacturing of composite materials after selective performance field-assisted processing by controlling the plasma removal depth and the initial temperature of the composite material surface.

[0054] In addition, the exhaust gas treatment system is located outside the protective working chamber and is used to detoxify the toxic gases after plasma processing and then discharge them into the atmosphere. The toxic gases include SiF4 and other gases that are very harmful to the human body and the environment.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown, the principle of surface defect removal by atmospheric plasma polishing implemented by the present invention is shown. Figure 4 On the left is the atmospheric plasma's mechanism for achieving low or even zero surface damage removal. First, the etching rates of two different materials, silicon carbide particles and aluminum matrix, are calibrated. Then, the etching rate of aluminum-based silicon carbide is optimized to achieve plasma removal of different materials at the same rate, thereby achieving coordinated removal of aluminum-based silicon carbide composite materials. Finally, an experiment is conducted to verify the damage removal processing of aluminum-based silicon carbide composite materials. The control valve and flow meter of the gas supply module are used to achieve plasma etching of aluminum-based silicon carbide materials at the same rate. Figure 4On the right is a microscopic schematic diagram of damage removal by atmospheric plasma. Through etching by plasma gas, cracks can be expanded and merged, and ultimately the surface can be free of machining stress, cracks, pits and other defects, achieving high-efficiency, low-damage or even zero-damage ultra-precision manufacturing.

[0056] Atmospheric plasma polishing process Figure 5 As shown, the workpiece is mounted on a water-cooling table, which is located above the motion table. The motion trajectory of the motion table is controlled by an industrial computer. The industrial computer and the motion table are connected by a controller and a driver, wherein the industrial computer, the controller and the driver are placed outside the protective working chamber, and the workpiece, the water-cooling table, the motion table and the plasma discharge module are also located in the protective working chamber. The induction coil is located around the torch tube and is placed above the workpiece. The torch tube is connected to the gas supply module, wherein the three air inlets in the torch tube are connected to a flow meter, which is used to display the flow rate of the three gases in the gas cylinder. Three control valves are installed between the gas cylinder and the flow meter to control the flow rate of the three gases respectively, so as to achieve the same removal rate of silicon carbide particles as that of the aluminum substrate, thereby realizing high-efficiency, low-damage or even zero-damage processing.

[0057] During atmospheric plasma polishing, SiF4 will be produced due to chemical reaction. This gas is harmful to the environment and human body. Figure 5 The exhaust gas treatment system shown collects and treats the processed gas, then discharges it and places it in the protective working chamber at the same time.

[0058] In summary, the method and device designed according to the present invention can achieve efficient, high-quality, zero-damage manufacturing of hard and brittle particle composite materials, solving the problems of poor surface quality and short tool wear life in ordinary cutting of hard and brittle particle composite materials, and thus has broad application prospects.

[0059] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for achieving extremely low damage processing of metal matrix composite materials, characterized in that: The method is used to achieve extremely low damage or damage-free processing of hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composites and comprises a first processing stage and a second processing stage in succession, wherein: In the first processing stage, or selective performance field-assisted cutting (SPF), the hard and brittle particles and the soft metal matrix of the composite material are quickly identified. Different signals are then used to control the laser switch of the laser in situ assistance, so that the laser in situ assistance is used for processing the hard and brittle particles, while the laser is turned off and a conventional diamond cutting process is performed when processing the soft metal matrix, thereby reducing the number and size of surface pits and cracks. In the second processing stage, that is, the atmospheric plasma polishing process, the composite material after the selective performance field assisted processing is applied with a radio frequency voltage, and the active atoms are chemically reacted with the atoms on the surface of the composite material to repair the sub-surface cracks and pits remaining after the selective performance field assisted cutting, thereby achieving extremely low damage or damage-free processing of hard and brittle particle reinforced metal matrix composite materials; in the above-mentioned atmospheric plasma polishing process, an inductive coupling process is used to control the flow of plasma gas, auxiliary gas and reaction gas, and ensure that the plasma etching rate remains consistent when etching hard and brittle particles and soft metal matrix.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein In the above-mentioned selective performance field assisted cutting process, the parameters of the laser beam are adjusted, and the heating temperature of the hard and brittle particles under different laser parameters is controlled, thereby increasing the plastic cutting depth of the hard and brittle particles to reduce the surface roughness, and at the same time, the residual stress of the processed surface is reduced by controlling the laser power.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein In the selective performance field assisted cutting process, the composite material is quickly identified at the micron level, and the identified soft metal matrix material signal is used to control the laser to turn off, thereby realizing ordinary diamond cutting of the soft metal matrix.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: During the atmospheric plasma polishing process, the plasma removal depth and the initial temperature of the composite material surface are controlled, wherein a plasma removal function distribution is established to achieve control of the removal depth.

5. A working system for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The working system includes a selective performance field assisted processing unit and an atmospheric plasma polishing unit, wherein: The selective performance field auxiliary processing unit comprises an X-axis element (1), a laser base (2), a support plate (3), an adjustment table (4), a micron-level high-speed recognition module (5), a spindle (6), a diamond tool module (8) and a laser in-situ auxiliary module (9), wherein the X-axis element (1) is located inside the machine tool and is used to move the entire selective performance field auxiliary unit in the X direction; the laser base (2) is installed on the X-axis element (1) and is used to install the laser in-situ auxiliary module (9) and the support plate (3); the support plate (3) is installed above the laser base (2) and is used to fix the adjustment table (4); the adjustment table (4) is installed and The micrometer-level high-speed recognition module (5) is fixed on the support plate (3) and is used to adjust the angle of the micrometer-level high-speed recognition module (5) so that its recognition area is located in front of the processing area of ​​the diamond tool module (8); the micrometer-level high-speed recognition module (5) includes a high-speed recognition camera (501) for identifying the material category of the composite material as the workpiece, thereby transmitting the signal to the energy field loading control module and controlling the laser switch of the laser in-situ auxiliary module (9), turning on the laser when hard and brittle particles are identified, and performing laser in-situ auxiliary processing, and turning off the laser of the laser in-situ auxiliary module when a soft metal matrix is ​​identified, and performing ordinary diamond cutting through the diamond tool module (8); As for the atmospheric plasma polishing unit, it includes a numerical control five-axis motion module, a radio frequency adapter (15), a rectangular tube (16) and an electric spark igniter (17), wherein the numerical control five-axis motion module is composed of an X-axis component (13), a Y-axis component (10), a Z-axis component (14), an A-axis component (12) and a C-axis component (11), and is used to provide five-axis motion for the workpiece after completing the selective performance field assisted processing; the electric spark igniter (17) is installed on the X-axis component (13) and is used to ignite and discharge the plasma gas of the rectangular tube (16); the rectangular tube (16) is installed on the radio frequency adapter (15), and the radio frequency adapter (15) is controllably connected to the radio frequency power supply, thereby using high-frequency oscillation to provide alternating current for the plasma torch, and adjusting so that all the power of the radio frequency power supply is loaded on the coil of the plasma torch, thereby ensuring that sufficient energy is obtained for work.

6. The working system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The above-mentioned atmospheric plasma polishing unit adopts a cradle and a mechanism to realize the predetermined trajectory movement of the workpiece and achieve precise motion control.

7. The working system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The above-mentioned atmospheric plasma polishing unit is also equipped with a protective working chamber and an exhaust gas treatment module, wherein the protective working chamber is used to prevent the leakage of processing exhaust gas and internal high-frequency electromagnetic field, and the exhaust gas treatment module is located outside the protective working chamber and is used to detoxify the toxic gas after plasma processing and then discharge it into the atmosphere.

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