A Robust Helical Abrasive Flow Machining (HLX-AFM) Process

Abrasive flow machining (AFM) is a fine finishing process in which an abrasives laden semi-solid paste is used for finishing of internal inaccessible recesses or surfaces. Recently, several modifications in the tooling with/without additional machining action have been tried for increasing the material removal in the AFM. The present study is about a novel development in the AFM process, towards the enhancement of material removal rate while polishing the internal cylindrical surfaces. The modified process is termed as helical abrasive flow machining process (HLX-AFM). Taguchi’s quality engineering approach has been applied to the developed HLX-AFM process, leading to the optimization of various process parameters and thus the development of a robust machining process with significantly enhanced material removal.