Polishing of paramagnetic materials using atomized magnetic abrasive powder

This paper reports on the polishing of paramagnetic materials in the magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process by using atomized-type magnetic abrasive powder (MAP). After atomization process, a spherical MAP with captured Al2O3 hard particles was obtained. The MAF process was experimented on two plane workpieces with different hardnesses. An orthogonal array containing five factors with three levels was applied in the experiment. Based on analysis results, the model of surface roughness was obtained, and the rotational speed of the MAPs played the most dominant role in the surface quality of both finished experimental materials. By comparing the value of the finished surface roughness at different process parameters, the influence of single process parameter on processing quality was analyzed. Furthermore, the minimum surface roughness of both materials was obtained at the best combination of process parameters. Finally, the experiment of the material removal and the produced surface morphology was examined in order to understand the finishing characteristics of the atomized MAPs during the MAF process.