ABRASIVE JET MACHINING

AJM - PRINCIPLE
Directing a stream of fine abrasive grains,
mixed with compressed air or some other gas
at high pressure through a nozzle on to the
surface of the workpiece to be machined.

These particles strike on the work surface at

high speed and the erosion caused by their
impact enables the removal of metal.
AJM - DIAGRAM
AJM EQUIPMENT
AJM EQUIPMENT
 AJM Process Parameters
Abrasive Materials:
Al2O3, SiC, Sodium bicarbonate, dolomite, glass
beads.
It Should have irregular shapes
Their size is 10 to 50 microns.
Mass flow rate 2 ~ 20 gm/min
 AJM Process Parameters
Carrier gas
Composition Air, CO2 , N2
Density Air 1.3 kg/mm3
Velocity 500 ~ 700 m/s
Pressure 2 ~ 10 bar
Abrasive Jet
Velocity 100~ 300 m/s
Stand-off distance 0/5 ~ 5 mm
Impingement Angle 60 ~ 90
Nozzle
Diameter 0.2 to 0.8 mm
 Characteristics of AJM
Material Removal : By impinging
(striking) abrasive grains at high speed.
Critical parameters :
Abrasive flow rate and velocity
Nozzle tip distance
Abrasive grain boundaries
 Advantages
Low capital investment.
Brittle materials of thin sections can be easily
machined.
Intricate cavities and holes of any shape can be
machined with good accuracy.
There is no contact between the tool and
workpiece.
Power Consumption is very low
 Disadvantages
The material removal rate is low
The process is limited to brittle and hard
materials
The wear rate of nozzle is very high
The process results in poor machining
accuracy
The process can cause environmental pollution
 Applications
Metal Working:
De-burring of some critical zones in the machined
parts.
Drilling and cutting of the thin and hardened metal
sections.
Removing the machining marks, flaws, chrome and
anodizing marks.
Grinding
Cleaning the residues from diamond wheels, dressing
wheels of any shape and size.
 Applications
Glass
Cutting of the optical fibers without altering its
wavelength.
Cutting, drilling and frosting precision optical
lenses.
Cutting extremely thin sections of glass and intricate
curved patterns.
Cutting and etching normally inaccessible areas and
internal surfaces.
Cleaning and dressing the grinding wheels used for
glass.