Minimum Thickness of Cut in Nanomachining Using Atomic Force Microscopy

The relation between minimum thickness of cut (MTC) and the extreme machining accuracy attainable for a specific cutting condition by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) has been discussed. A mechanical model was used to describe qualitatively the minimum thickness of cut during nanometric cutting process. Mechanical response of aluminum and copper on nanoscratching has been studied. The analysis of the corresponding experimental results comparing with the mechanical model calculation shows that the minimum thickness of cut obtained by experiments is coincident with theoretical results well.