Strengthen
MIKRONITEŽ material treatment imparts a high energy flow of abrasive and carrier media in a fluidized bath that cascades against the surface of a work piece while supporting its structure. This technology refines the surface of the part and as desired can create compressive forces, increasing the metals ability to resist deformation under load.
On ceramics and glass, failure and fractures are understood to propagate from the surface through the body of the part. The use of MIKRONITEŽ material treatment to virtually eliminate cracks and inclusions results in a structurally sound and significantly more durable product.
On metals, the addition of cold plastic deformation of near surface layers, reduce slip plane movement by shifting the fault lines from linear to interwoven while increasing hardness of exposed surface features.
Coating Synergy
In certain applications of metal parts the need exists to produce a chemical barrier between materials. This is widely seen on cutting tools with titanium nitride or other composition coatings. MIKRONITEŽ material treatment has a proven history of both preparing a part for coating to increase adhesion, and of smoothing uneven deposits of coatings due to chemical impurities or flawed magnetic fields. In some cases the isotropic surface created and low RA can eliminate coatings, with a side effect that can alter the surface color to a freshly polished look. MIKRONITEŽ material treatment has improved the survival benefit of coated tooling by as much as 300% over coating alone.
Lubricity
The newly created surface now has an evenly calculated pattern of channels that promotes capillary distribution, and temporary adhesion of a lubricant, and has a reduced coefficient of friction (COF). If lubrication from an outside liquid is possible then a barrier film may be desirable. The MIKRONITEŽ process has the ability to create a smooth surface on materials as needed, which help promote hydrodynamic effects . In applications such as dry machining of materials, a smoother surface with less deformation to get caught on mating pieces or peaks (decreased Rmax) that otherwise heat and topically distort, usually is the only method of reducing COF and increasing service life.
Polishing
The MIKRONITEŽ process produces an incredible improvement in the appearance of products. With mirror finishes achieved on many products, MIKRONITEŽ machinery is both an asset as a diagnostic inspection tool, highlighting the deficiencies of high precision products, and a distinctive stand alone attention grabber, with the quality of the part represented in its jewelry like luster.
Corrosion Resistance
Perhaps the most unexpected of all the benefits of the MIKRONITEŽ process creating a practically perfect surface, is the reduction of chemical interaction between that surface and environmental corrosives. Metals resist rust and oxidation, even after months of exposure and handling. More complex interactions as occurs with the cobalt binder of tungsten carbide and acids in organic materials such as wood can be tamed or eliminated. This phenomenon may be explained as simply less surface area existing on a smoother surface means less contact with the environment, or it may have to do with a compacted fractal geometry that has no areas for impurities to infiltrate and bind to. This virtue of the MIKRONITEŽ system will be studied to broaden its future uses, but for now it is a repeatable, environmentally friendly and cost effective way to make sure your manufactured product performs to the most demanding standards.
Honing
The use of the MIKRONITEŽ system as a method to improve life and wear characteristics has been the benchmark of our research. As we expand the available energies that can be imparted on the work piece and the frequency of the parts oscillations, MIKRONITEŽ becomes a tool to form and configure. In many cases our high G Forces, often many times higher then the 1200 pound point pressure of a typical milling operation, can be controlled to hone or radius an edge as well as level a surface. This application of the MIKRONITEŽ process allows many parts to be fabricated by conventional methods and (in cutting tools for example a tool that is sharpened but not honed is described as "up-sharp") and inventoried in an application neutral condition. When the customer specifies the desirable hone or radius characteristic, the part can easily, cleanly, and economically be completed through MIKRONITEŽ material treatment. Applications for honing include cutting tools, both metal and ceramic, hot isostatic pressed parts, sintered or molded pieces, forged pieces, gears and cut and hobbed pieces.
Effects