Rapid magneto-rheological finishing of Ti-6Al-4V for aerospace components

Magneto-rheological finishing (MRF) is traditionally used as an ultra-precision surface finishing technique for optical components. Conventional rotating magnetic tool using relatively low viscosity media results in low material removal rate, therefore rendering it unfeasible for polishing of aerospace components. In this paper, a rapid-MRF process using highly magnetised MRF media by an original apparatus is introduced. The apparatus accumulates the highly viscous MRF media onto the finishing zone and allows in-process form maintenance of the media. Uniformity and efficiency of the rapid-MRF process is studied for freeform Ti-6Al-4V surface finishing.