Basic research in aspheric elements surface polishing using a flexible polishing compound

Abstract

This paper proposes a new method of polishing using the magnetic liquid slurry
(MLS) combined with the 6-axis robot for the polishing the surface of optical
lenses. First, the distribution of grinding particles was detected by SEM and
EDX. Then, the shape formation of a gradually stable over time polishing
device was investigated. In this paper, it is accepted that an workpiece made
from aluminum-alloy sheets can be considered an aspheric element with an
infinite curvature radius. The polished area and the cross sections formed every
30 minutes after the polishing process are recorded. The polished area is formed
with obtained concentric circles. These concentric circles have an outer
diameter of Ø34mm and inner diameter of Ø15mm. The process of removing
material residue was determined by the highest height and the surface
roughness (Ra) decreased from 125 nm with the initial workpiece to 11 nm after
90 minutes of polishing. Therefore, it can be concluded that the proposed
method is capable of polishing the optical lens surface.