We Engineer
Better Systems.

The challenge

Manual finishing required shape-specific masking guides, prolonged hand work, and at least two complementary guides. The bridges holding each guide together covered part of the finishing path, so the operator had to exchange guides to finish the remaining sections.

The engineering approach

A mechanically self-aligning head follows straight paths and rounded corners while the machine spindle remains stationary. No programmable spindle-angle control is required. The head geometry also provides access to the bottom of dovetail O-ring grooves.

The application is defined by the sealing surface, rather than a single industry. Examples include semiconductor and display equipment chambers, vacuum chambers, and pressure chambers, on flat O-ring contact surfaces or dovetail groove bottoms.

Scope and outcome

Concept development, mechanical design, prototype manufacture coordination, and testing. Field trials demonstrated machining-center hairline generation and direction following through rounded corners. LUX-SAND provides an optional surface preparation stage.

Korean patent No. 10-2435651 · Registered August 19, 2022
Co-inventors: Inhwan Chang and Keunsoo Kim
View patent document ↗

The challenge

The existing tungsten heavy-alloy body offered damping, but deformation and unbalance remained concerns. Guide-pad support alone did not address the full behavior of the rotating tool.

The engineering approach

Designed a hybrid body combining dissimilar materials to adjust stiffness, mass distribution, and natural frequencies. Compared structural configurations through analysis and incorporated unbalance correction into the design and manufacturing drawings.

Scope and result

Tool-body design, material and structural comparison, static and modal analysis, balance evaluation, and manufacturing drawings.

Required coaxiality and roundness

7 μm each

Reported machining result

Approximately 2–3 μm each

The machining results were reported to the engineer following manufacture.

Research application

This study concerns diamond cutting tools for ultra-precision optical machining. The work covers tool geometry and clamping-structure design, supported by static, modal, and harmonic-response analysis.

Frequency-response evaluation

Harmonic analysis examines displacement and stress response as the excitation frequency changes. The response curves identify regions of increased response near resonance and support the evaluation of the tool structure.

The figures below show displacement response at Nodes 1 and 39, von Mises stress response at Nodes 1, 39, and 71, and a resultant-displacement distribution at 125,000 Hz (7,500,000 CPM). The 125,000 Hz (7,500,000 CPM) distribution is shown as a selected frequency result, rather than identified as the peak-resonance condition.

Automatic endoscope inspection

An automatic endoscope inspection system for examining internal features. The portfolio includes equipment photographs and an example inspection image.

Hydraulic jigs and fixtures

Hydraulic fixtures address workpiece location and clamping during machining. The inspection system and workholding fixtures are presented as separate applications within production engineering.

Process and equipment planning

Reviewed how the product should be manufactured, established the process and production layout, and designed the machinery required for each operation. Equipment interfaces, material transfer, and the flow of work were considered as part of the line.

Scope and development records

Equipment design, fabrication, quality control, production layout planning, and documentation. CAD assemblies, line layout drawings, and photographs document the equipment and its operation. The dedicated machinery includes a weld joint preparation milling machine.

Machine configuration

The equipment combines oxygen, plasma, and laser cutting heads with a punching marker. The design considers the processing functions together with the supporting machine structure.

Structural evaluation

Structural analysis records examine load response, stress, and deformation in the large machine structure and its components. The images show the evaluated configurations and modeled load cases.

Product and operating principle

Developed a thermo unit using shape memory alloy (SMA) actuation to implement temperature-responsive operation within a fuel recirculation valve arrangement.

Design records

External and sectional CAD views illustrate the product design. The section shows the internal mechanism and its integration into the valve body.