A stationary apparatus of magnetic abrasive finishing using a rotating magnetic field

The precision and efficient surface finishing processes have recently become highly demanded by industries. Magnetic Abrasive Finishing (MAF) is studied as an effective method for a surface finishing. The MAF process can produce a smoothly finished surface by means of relative motion between a magnetic abrasive and the workpiece surface. To successfully finish the surface, it is critical to control the magnetic abrasive motion on the workpiece surface. The magnetic abrasive is suspended in a magnetic field generated by the electromagnets located underneath the workpiece. In this paper, a finishing system using a rotating magnetic field, with stationary electromagnets and workpiece, has been developed for the surface finishing. This system utilizes a rotating magnetic field to control the force and dynamic motion of the Magnetic Abrasive Particles (MAPs). This approach eliminates any mechanical motion of the electromagnets and the workpiece, to make the system more controllable, reliable, and cost-effective. The mechanism and characteristics of this system are summarized in this paper. The finite element method with COMSOL Multiphysics(A (R)) Simulation software was used to analyze the magnetic flux distribution, magnetic flux density, and magnetic forces in the working area.