Talking Tech: Micro machining
Technical Editor Steed Webzell chats all things micro machining with Greg Johnson, Product Marketing Manager and Paul Fitton, UK Sales Manager at one of the world’s leading cutting-tool suppliers in this segment: OSG UK Ltd Micro tools with macro benefits
Micro machining is an extremely broad term that makes definition open to interpretation. OSG UK has a wide variety of options aimed at this market with milling tools starting at 0.10mm diameter, taps available off the shelf at M1 and drills as small as 0.7mm diameter with through-coolant, and down to 0.02mm diameter without. The company can also supply a 1mm drill with up to 30xD capability. The mind boggles. “We work in sectors such as watchmaking where you can’t actually see the tap going into or out of the hole,” says Product Marketing Manager Greg Johnson. “It can be a little scary for our clients at first, but with the right tool and production process, it’s perfectly feasible.”
The applications for micro machining are wide-ranging. In the UK, the semiconductor sector is currently very strong, driven by major industry players in line with growing demand for AI-enabled technologies. These advanced semiconductors find their way into products such as communication devices, electric and autonomous vehicles, robotics, healthcare equipment, military technology, quantum and cloud computing systems, and a number of everyday consumer devices. Mould and die tooling, medical implements, electronic enclosures and civil/military aerospace parts are all seeing an increase in demand for smaller diameter componentry and even smaller
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