Mitigating Chatter in Micro and Mesoscale Milling by Tuning Fixture Dynamics: A Feasability Study

Chatter in micro and mesoscale milling adversely affects the surface quality of machined parts and increases the occurrence of tool breakage. Due to the relatively small sizes of micro and mesoscale tools with respect to that of the machine, this phenomenon is typically driven by the tool dynamics. In this paper, the effectiveness of a fixturing device, designed with the aim of mitigating chatter in micro and mesoscale milling, is assessed for various commercially available tools. The feasibility study discussed in this paper used a combination of numerical and analytical modeling, including finite element analysis and beam theory. By comparing the dynamic response of the machining center with fixtures of various designs, a technological window for the applicability of this approach was determined.