Organic molecules on a metal surface … the best friend of a machine tool

How can you develop a cut of “gummy” metals? Purdue University innovators have responded – and their decisions may help in manufacturing results and minimizing component failure.

Researchers have previously shown that the use of permanent mark or Sharpie film, glue or adhesive made it easier to cut metals such as aluminum, stainless steels, nickel, copper and tantalum for industrial applications. Marking the metal surface to be machined with ink or adhesive significantly reduced the cutting force, leaving a clean cut in seconds. Now, they’ve discovered how these films make an impact.

“We’ve found that you only need the organic film from the marks or the glue to be one thick molecule for it to work,” said Srinivasan Chandrasekar, Purdue’s professor of industrial engineering. “This ultra-thin film helps achieve smoother, cleaner and faster cuts than conventional machining processes. It also reduces cutting forces and energy, and improves results for manufacturing over industries such as biochemical, energy, defense and aerospace. “

The research is published in Advances in science. The study involves collaboration between researchers at Purdue, Osaka University (Japan) and Indian Institute of Science (India).

If the potential of gummy metals or alloys – that is, how well they cut, drill or grind – can be greatly improved, there is the potential to reduce the cost of products, improve performance or design a new product. enable development.

The researchers found, using organic monolayer films created by molecular self-assembly, that the length of a molecular chain and the flow into the metal surface are crucial to achieve these improvements. By using the “right” organic molecules, the metal is introduced locally and as a result is better mechanized.

“We are also learning through our discovery more about how environmental factors affect metal failure,” said Anirudh Udupa, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Purdue School of Industrial Engineering. ‘determine how organic molecular films improve the machinability of these metals, our understanding of common failures with environmental support in metals, such as stress cracking, hydrogen adhesion and molten metal adhesion, is best understood. “

The Purdue innovators were working with the Purdue Research Foundation Technology Commerce Office to patent this technology.