Prediction of Surface Profile Evolution of Workpiece and Lapping Plate in Lapping Process

Lapping has a history of hundreds of years, yet it still relies on the experience of workers. To improve the automaticity and controllability of the lapping process, a modeling method of friction and wear is developed to predict the surface profile evolution of the workpiece and lapping plate in the lapping process. In the proposed method, by solving the balance equations of resultant force and moment, the inclination angles of the workpiece can be calculated; thus, a more accurate contact pressure distribution of the workpiece/lapping plate interface can be calculated. Combined with the material removal rate model, the continuous evolution process of the workpiece and lapping plate can be predicted in the lapping process. The modeling method was validated by a lapping test of a flat optical glass workpiece (Φ 100 mm) with a composite copper plate. The results show that the proposed method can predict the evolution of the surface profile of the workpiece and lapping plate with high accuracy. Consequently, the lapping plate can be dressed at the right time point. Benefit from this, in the validation test the Peak to Valley (PV) value of the workpiece (with 5 mm edge exclusion) was reduced from 5.279 µm to 0.267 µm in 30 min. The proposed surface profile evolution modeling method not only improves the lapping efficiency but also provides an opportunity to understand the lapping process.