Optimizing the machining parameters in glass grinding operation on the CNC milling machine for best surface roughness

Glass is one of the most difficult materials to be machined due to its brittle nature and unique structure such that the fracture is often occurred during machining and the surface finish produced is often poor. CNC milling machine is possible to be used with several parameters making the machining process on the glass special compared to other machining process. However, the application of grinding process on the CNC milling machine would be an ideal solution in generating special products with good surface roughness. This paper studies how to optimize the different machining parameters in glass grinding operation on CNC machine seeking for best surface roughness. These parameters include the spindle speed, feed rate, depth of cut, lubrication mode, tool type, tool diameter and tool wear. To optimize these machining parameters in which the most significant parameters affecting the surface roughness can be identified, Taguchi optimization method is used with the orthogonal array of L₈ (2⁶). However, to obtain the most optimum parameters for best surface roughness, the signal to noise (S/N) response analysis and Pareto analysis of variance (ANOVA) methods are implemented. Finally, the confirmation test is carried out to investigate the improvement of the optimization. The results showed an improvement of 8.91 % in the measured surface roughness.