Abstract of the Offer
Texture Jet Ltd is a small enterprise who design and manufacture electrochemical jet machining (ECJM) technology from Nottingham, UK. ECJM is a unique surface finishing technology that allows you to shape edges, part mark and prepare the surfacs of your parts. It does this while removing the need for masking your parts and creates no contact, heat, dust or swarf when machining. It can be used for conductive metal parts, and surface preparation for bonding / coating of carbon fibre polymers. Texture Jet manufacture the technology and applicators (off the shelf or bespoke) for you to use.
Description
Electrochemical Machining (ECM) is a well established method of producing high quality, precise surface modifications to conductive metal parts. An electrochemical cell is established from a tool (cathode) to the workpiece (anode) via a conductive electrolyte. When electrical charge is passed across the cell, a precise amount of material is removed from the anode, dissolved into the electrolyte, leaving an improved surface behind on the workpiece. Electrochemical Jet Machining (ECJM) takes the same established method, but delivers the electrolyte via a nozzle, acting as the cathode, forming a ‚free jet‘. The electrochemical cell is confined to the free jet, reducing the maching area from any unmasked areas in normal ECM to the area under the nozzle only. The nozzle is translated over the workpiece to machine different areas, with the parameters controlled to create repeatable surface finishes.
The core functionality of this technology is machining of conductive metal parts. Under the jet, a precise, controllable amount of material is removed while machining, allowing accurate and repeatable surface modifications to be achieved. The modification can be machining (removing material from the surface), polishing (levelling the surface topography through selective material removal) or roughening (increasing the surface topography through selective material removal). The amount of material removed is controllable, from as little as 1 micron up to 500 microns.
Applications of the technology include edge shaping (deburring / break edge), advanced part marking and surface preparation (patterning, roughening and polishing). Edge shaping allows high levels of control in precision deburring and break edge applications. The technology can create a radius from 0.1mm diameter up to 1mm. Burrs are quickly removed and a smooth, rounded edge is created. For advanced part marking, text and 2D barcodes can be applied to flat and curved surfaces with ease. Using a simple robotic interface, multiple part types can be marked quickly, with advanced controls on the depth of the marking for high value parts. Surface preparation allows a surface polish as low as RA ~ 0.1 micron up to a surface roughness RA ~ 10 micron (depending on material). This is achieved with changes to the parameters only, allowing multiple surface finishes to be realised automatically across a surface.
A further development of the technology is called ArcSlice – this is a technology developed to allow surface ablation of carbon fibre reenforced polymer (CFRP). Using the same ECJM technology, soft arcs are introduced to the process, creating a controlled ablation of the surface, without damaging the carbon fibres, only removing the resin between the fibres. The application of this is in bonding / coating of CFRP.
Advantages and Innovations
The Electrochemical Jet Machining (ECJM) process allows surface finishing using a pH-neutral, salt based electrolyte. This is safer and more environmentally friendly than some alternative surface finishing technologies which use harmful or toxic chemical s to machine parts. There is no need to mask the areas which do not need to be machined, reducing the waste generated from machining and reducing the process time by up to 68%. There is no heat created during processing, nor contact with the surface (other than the electrolyte stream), allowing sensitive and thin-walled parts to be processed with ease. No dust or swarf is created during machining, reducing waste and increasing quality of the finishes. The electrolyte is recovered and recycled through the process, reducing cost and environmental impact from processing.
The primary applications for this technology are Edge Shaping (break edge and deburring), Surface prepartion (for bonding or finishing) and advanced part marking.
For edge shaping, a precise and repeatable burr removal and radius can be created in high value, precision parts quickly and without risk of damage. This has been shown to be 75% more repeatable than manual deburring, and 50% more repeatable than other robotic deburring methods.
For surface preparation, precise, high quality finishes can be realised in a fully automated manner. Create predicable bonding surfaces for adhesives and coatings as well as removing the need for masking – saving time and cost. Up to 50% increase in repeatability of bond strength compared with media blasted surfaces.
For advanced part markings, you can create complex part-marking without the need for harsh chemicals or stencils. Compatible with 2D and 3D surfaces, create precise marks on metal surfaces with accurate control of the depth of the marking. This is particularly important for safety critical components with high wear – you can create a repeatable, controlled part marking on the surface without risking functional damage to the part.
A further development of the technology is called ArcSlice – this is a technology developed to allow surface ablation of carbon fibre reenforced polymer. Using the same ECJM technology, soft arcs are introduced to the process, creating a controlled ablation of the surface, without damaging the carbon fibres, only removing the resin between the fibres. This creates a much bigger bonding area without leaving contamination (like media blasting techniques) and reducing waste created through peel ply processes. Testing has shown similar bond strength from ArcSlice, media blasted samples and peel ply treated samples.