The semiconductor industry is a growth sector with its own unique rules. The sometimes very large components of the machines used must meet strict requirements for cleanliness, appearance, and surface quality. In collaboration with OpenMind and the Regofix Group, ISCAR demonstrates how these can be achieved in production.
How are the sometimes large aluminum components for semiconductor industry equipment manufactured? How can components be produced quickly and economically? And how can tools and machining strategies meet the high demands of this industry for surfaces and cleanliness? ISCAR, along with its project partners OpenMind, a manufacturer of powerful CAD/CAM solutions for machine- and control-independent NC programming, and the clamping tool manufacturer Regofix Group, addressed these and other questions at the TechCenter in Ettlingen. In addition to ISCAR product specialist Thomas Mertel, ISCAR's TechCenter team, Marco Huck and Markus Schmitt, as well as Jakob Nordmann from OpenMind, were also involved. The motivated team developed the necessary ideas and strategies together.
"Now it is the TechCenter - also known as ISCAR's 'playground for big boys' - which offers us almost unlimited freedom in implementing our ideas. However, we were not just fooling around," says Thomas Mertel. "Our goal was to create a recognizable added value for our customers in a practical test." The difficulty: The semiconductor industry is very secretive about the specific dimensions and designs of the components of its production facilities.
Going all out on the aluminum block
"Therefore, we processed a sample component that could occur in one of the plants," explains Mertel, adding with a wink: "We simply clamped a large block of aluminum onto the Hermle C 52 U machining center and got started with the full range of tools." The team was able to choose exactly the right tools for each task. Ultimately, 16 different ISCAR tools and holders from Regofix were on the list. The necessary programming was provided by OpenMind.
For the volumetric machining of surfaces, a HELI3MILL face mill with a diameter of 40 millimeters, equipped with eight trigon indexable inserts with three helical cutting edges, was used. To create the sometimes deep cavities, the team relied on a 16 millimeter solid carbide (VHM) end mill from ISCAR's MegaALU series with a reach of 7xD. This tool family was also used for roughing and finishing - as a MULTIMASTER exchangeable head system with a diameter of 25 millimeters and a reach of 8xD for roughing and finishing surfaces, and as an 8-piece VHM end mill with 6xD for finishing high shoulders. For finishing, the team used a PCD system with a diameter of 100 millimeters.
"Particularly exciting were the circumferential sealing grooves with a closed contour," says the product specialist. To ensure the necessary quality of the sealing surface, ISCAR could not cut the groove as usual with a milling cutter. This would have led to an undesirable surface structure at the bottom of the groove. However, the team found a clever solution: "Instead, we used a turning tool from our PICCOCUT line to cut the parallel line to the contour," says Mertel. "This led to excellent results."
Potential demonstrated
Thus, a finished component that meets all the requirements of the semiconductor industry was gradually created from the block with edge lengths of up to 400 millimeters - produced quickly and economically. "This demanding, exciting, and very educational project impressively shows what is possible with ISCAR tools for the semiconductor industry," concludes Mertel. "The collaboration worked very well and was a lot of fun for everyone involved."
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