Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021 DOI 10.

1007/s12206-021-0608-y

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021

Original Article
DOI 10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y
Finishing characteristics of Inconel alloy
625 bars in ultra-precision magnetic
Keywords:
· CNC machine center
· Ultra-precision magnetic abrasive
abrasive finishing using CNC machine
finishing
· Inconel alloy 625
center
· Surface roughness
· Finishing depth Jung Tak Bae1 and Han Joo Kim1,2
1
Department of Convergence Technology Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896,
Correspondence to: 2
Korea, Eco-Friendly Machine Parts Design Center, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea
Han Joo Kim
Khanjoo@jbnu.ac.kr

Abstract An ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing (UPMAF) process is an efficient

Citation:
Bae, J. T., Kim, H. J. (2021). Finishing
characteristics of Inconel alloy 625 bars in
ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing
using CNC machine center. Journal of
Mechanical Science and Technology 35
(7) (2021) 2851~2859.
http://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y
Received February 19th, 2020
Revised November 27th, 2020
Accepted April 15th, 2021
† Recommended by Editor
Chongdu Cho
mirror finishing technique. This research utilized the ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing
technique to improve the accuracy of advanced material of Inconel alloy 625 cylindrical bars.
The finishing technique employed flexible unbonded magnetic abrasive tools with neodymium
permanent magnets (Nd-Fe-B), and components of the finishing procedure were installed with
a five-dimensional computer numerical control (CNC) machining center. The surface accuracy
and dimensional accuracy of Inconel alloy 625 bars were enhanced by the ultra-precision mag-
netic abrasive finishing technique with input parameters of workpiece rotational speed, work-
piece feed rate, and magnetic abrasive grain size. After characterization with energy dispersive
X-ray analysis (EDX), atomic force microscope (AFM), and a thermal imaging camera, we
found that this ultra-precision magnetic polishing technology can improve surface roughness
Ry of Inconel alloy 625 cylindrical bars from 2010 nm to 200 nm at a rotational speed of
12000 rpm, feed rate of 2000 mm/min, diamond abrasive grain size of 1 μm, and flux density of
300 mT processing of 5 min.

© The Korean Society of Mechanical
Engineers and Springer-Verlag GmbH
Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
1. Introduction
Inconel alloy 625 is a nickel-based superalloy with superior mechanical properties, such as
high corrosion fatigue strength, high tensile strength, and resistance to chloride ion stress cor-
rosion cracking [1]. It also shows remarkable protection against corrosion and oxidation. In-
conel alloys have been widely used in many applications, such as aircraft ducting systems,
engine thrust-reverser systems, jet engine exhausts systems, and chemical process equipment
[2, 3]. The high surface quality, small diameter, and specified roundness of this material are in
demand for many applications [4]. However, Inconel alloy 625 is in a group of difficult-to-cut
materials, such as zirconia ceramics and AISI SUS 304 [5, 6]. Therefore, conventional surface
improvement techniques (e.g., grinding, lapping, polishing, and superfinishing) are unworkable
with this difficult-to-cut material due to the limitations of their working principles [7-9].
Park et al. [10] have reported that in the conventional processes, the high pressure was ap-
plied on the surface of workpiece during their processing. Therefore, the surface of workpiece
can be damaged under their processing with high pressure. Singh et al. [11] have revealed that
the surface accuracy of some difficult-to-cut materials (e.g., silicon nitride, silicon carbide, and
aluminum oxide) are hard to be improved by polishing or grinding process because the minimal
surface defects, such as minimal cracks can be formed on the finial surface finish of the mate-
rials. Heng et al. [12] have stated that the traditional finishing processes (e.g., grinding, and
lapping, etc.) are impossible to process the components of complicated shape, and the compo-
nents with miniature sizes efficiently.
Recently, non-conventional methods (i.e., selective laser melting (SLM) process, ultra-
precision magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process) are being used for obtaining the high

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 Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021
(a)
Fig. 1. UPMAF equipment used for Inconel alloy 625 bar: (a) schematic view; (b) photograph view.
surface accuracy of these difficult-to-cut materials instead of
the conventional processes. In previous study, the SLM proc-
ess has been used for improving high surface accuracy of
various materials such as, Inconel 718, Inconel 625, AA6061 Al
alloys, and AISI SUS 316L, etc. [13-15]. Strano et al. [15] have
stated that the surface accuracy (Ra) of Inconel 718 material
fabricated by the SLM process is higher than 7000 nm that is
attributed to partially melted powder layer and inherent pores of
the SLM process, and the finial processed surface by SLM is
unsatisfactory for general applications in automotive technol-
ogy industry. Prashanth et al. [16] have reported that the SLM
process has the disadvantages such as a relatively slow proc-
ess (due to the limitation of processing speed), high power
application, and high initial costs, and the processed parts by
SLM may have rough surfaces. Furthermore, the SLM process
require high cost and high energy-consumption for an ultra-
precision finishing of high strength materials such as Inconel
alloy 625.
Unlike conventional processes and the SLM process, an ul-
tra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing is a mirror finishing
technique that can be used to efficiently generate mirror sur-
faces of products [17-19]. This finishing technique is one of the
most promising ultra-precision surface enhancement tech-
niques for wires, bars, and plane materials [20-22]. However,
there is little study of ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing
for difficult-to-cut materials, such as Inconel alloy 625. Guo et al.
[23] reported that it is very difficult for processing the surface
roughness of Inconel alloys with the conventional finishing
process.
To solve these problems, ultra-precision magnetic abrasive
finishing using a 5-D computer numerical control machining
center is created. In this study, to improve the accuracy of diffi-
cult-to-cut materials, Inconel alloy 625 bars, finishing setup with
flexible unbonded magnetic abrasive tools and Nd-Fe-B per-
manent magnets was installed with a 5-D CNC machining cen-
ter. This 5-D CNC machining center is a computer numerical
control machine used in production of industrial components.
2852
DOI 10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y
(b)
The machine is a principally automated milling machine that
can be operated without direct human assistance. In our ex-
perimental work, the 5-D CNC machining center is used to
control both of workpiece rotational speed (range: 2000-12000
rpm) and feed rate of the workpiece (range: 500-2000 mm/min).
This research attempts to create an ultra-precision magnetic
abrasive finishing technique using a 5-D CNC machining cen-
ter to improve the surface and dimensional accuracy (i.e., sur-
face roughness and finishing depth) of cylindrical bars of In-
conel alloy 625. To determine the optimal input parameters,
experiments with Inconel alloy 625 bars were performed with
different workpiece rotational speeds, different workpiece feed
rates, and different diamond abrasive grain sizes.
2. Experimental methods and materials
2.1 Experimental methods of UPMAF for fin-
ishing Inconel alloy 625 bars
To conduct ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing proc-
ess experiments with the Inconel alloy 625 bar, the workpiece
was inserted inside the CNC arbor spindle. Through the con-
troller and G code program, the arbor spindle can generate
rotational motion of the cylindrical workpiece (range: 2000-
12000 rpm) and feed rate of the cylindrical workpiece (range:
500-2000 mm/min). The unbonded magnetic abrasive tools
were used to fill the gaps between magnetic poles (S- and N-
poles). During the finishing process, the cylindrical workpiece
was moved along the z-axis directly into the flexible magnetic
abrasive brush (FMAB). When the rotational workpiece starts
to move, the magnetic abrasive tools begin the finishing proc-
ess. Schematic and photographic views of the UPMAF equip-
ment are shown in Figs. 1(a) and (b), respectively. In this ex-
perimental work, the UPMAF equipment was composed of a
system controller; an arbor spindle; two sets of Nd-Fe-B per-
manent magnets; an SS41 steel yoke; two SS41 magnetic
poles; two air cylinders; an ON/OFF valve; an Inconel alloy 625
bar; and the unbonded magnetic abrasive finishing tools. The
 Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021
Fig. 2. Top view of finishing part without magnetic abrasive tools.
Fig. 3. Front view of finishing part without magnetic abrasive tools.
finishing components of the UPMAF process were installed
with a 5-D computer numerical control machining center. A
system controller was connected with the CNC spindle option
to generate rotational motion of the workpiece from 2000 rpm
to 12000 rpm, as well as the feed rate of the cylindrical work-
piece from 500 mm/min to 2000 mm/min. Nd-Fe-B permanent
magnets were used in this experiment, because they can gen-
erate a high magnetic flux density, which allows the abrasive
tools to act against the surface of the Inconel alloy 625 bar.
The yoke and S-N magnetic poles were composed of a
strongly magnetic material (SS41 steel) in which they can form
the magnetic abrasive tools in form of flexible magnetic abra-
sive brush (FMAB). SS41 steel yoke was used to connect be-
tween S-pole and N-pole of magnets for inducing the continu-
ing flow of magnetic field. Two set of S-N (Nd-Fe-B) permanent
magnets and magnetic poles were attached to both edges of
SS41 steel yoke and they can be moved automatically by two
air cylinders. In the finishing process, the magnetic poles are
the important parameter as they are utilized to connect the
magnetic abrasive tools and (Nd-Fe-B) permanent magnet.
Without the magnetic poles, the magnetic abrasive particles
cannot form flexible magnetic abrasive brushes to finish the
surface of workpiece. The top view of finishing part without the
magnetic abrasive tools is shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 shows the
front view of finishing part without the magnetic abrasive tools.
As shown in Fig. 3 that during the finishing process, the Inconel
alloy 625 workpiece was inserted inside the gap of S-N mag-
netic pole. The finishing gap between the edge of magnetic
pole and workpiece’s surface was set to 1 mm. An unbonded
magnetic abrasive tool was used because it does not require
DOI 10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y
Table 1. Mechanical properties of Inconel alloy 625.
Tensile strength (MPa) 827
Yield strength (MPa) 414
Elongation 4D (%) 30
Hardness (HB) 287
Table 2. Chemical composition of Inconel alloy 625.
Ni Cr Mo Fe Nb
46.79 22.42 8.74 3.80 3.50
Al Mn Si Co C
0.20 1.09 0.08 1.07 8.03
in-depth preparation. The compound abrasive tools were typi-
cally mixed with 2.6 g of iron particles (mesh 200 μm), 0.3 g of
diamond paste (dia: 1, 6, or 15 μm), 0.01 g of carbon nanotube
(CNT) particles (dia: 1-4 μm), and 0.04 ml of grinding oil.
2.2 Materials
We used Inconel alloy 625 (manufacturer: Carpenter Tech-
nology Corporation) which has been applied to variety of engi-
neering applications [24, 25]. And, this alloy is required to have
a smooth surface to be useful [26]. Therefore, this study was
applied Inconel alloy 625 bars that are 6 mm in diameter and
65 mm in length. The mechanical properties and chemical
composition of Inconel alloy 625 bars are shown in Tables 1
and 2, respectively. The chemical composition of Inconel alloy
625 was observed by using a scanning electron microscope
equipment (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan). The mechanical properties
of Inconel alloy 625 was obtained by the Carpenter Technology
Corporation.
2.3 Experimental conditions of the UPMAF
process
The detailed conditions for ultra-precision magnetic abrasive
finishing process experiments with Inconel alloy 625 bars are
listed in Table 3. Inconel alloy 625 bars (workpiece dimensions:
ø 6 mm¯65 mm) with an original surface roughness Ry of
1800-2300 nm were prepared. To improve surface accuracy
and dimensional accuracy of the workpieces, experiments
were conducted with three variable input parameters of work-
piece rotational speed (2000, 5000, and 12000 rpm), work-
piece feed rate (500, 1000, and 2000 mm/min), and diamond
abrasive grain size (1, 6, and 15 μm). The strong magnetic
materials, i.e., Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets [27, 28], were
prepared in this experiment (dimension: 30¯20¯10 mm) with
a magnetic flux density of 300 mT. The total processing time
for the Inconel alloy 625 bars was 10 min. A strongly magnetic
material, i.e., SS41 steel, was used as the magnetic pole. De-
tails of its dimensional design are shown in Fig. 4.
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 Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021 DOI 10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y

Table 3. Details of experimental conditions.

Workpiece shape Inconel alloy 625 bar (ø6¯65 mm)

Rotational speed 2000, 5000, 12000 rpm
Iron particle: Fe (mesh 200 μm) (2.6 g)
Magnetic abrasive Diamond grain sizes: dia: 1, 6, 15 μm (0.3 g)
tools carbon nanotube (CNT) particles: 1-4 μm (0.01 g)
Light oil: 0.04 g (ml)
Feed rate 500, 1000, 2000 mm/min
Magnet Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet (30¯20¯10 mm)
Magnetic pole material Metal SS41 steel
Yoke material Metal SS41 steel
Magnetic flux density
300 mT
in finishing area
Fig. 5. Surface roughness measuring procedure for Inconel alloy 625 work-
Finishing gap 1 mm piece.
Processing time 0, 2, 5, 10 min

Fig. 4. Details of dimensional design for magnetic pole shape.

To determine the best surface roughness Ry and finishing

depth values of the Inconel alloy 625 bars, the finished work-
pieces were measured, respectively, by a surface roughness
tester (Mitutoyo, SJ-400) and a diameter tester (Mitutoyo, LSM-
6200) at 2, 5, and 10 min of the finishing time. Before and after
the process, the Inconel alloy 625 bar workpiece was cleaned
up by ethanol in the ultrasonic cleaning device within 10 min.
To obtain the average value of surface roughness, the surface
of workpiece was measured 3 times at different positions. The
surface roughness measuring procedure for Inconel alloy 625
workpiece using a surface roughness tester (Mitutoyo SJ-400)
was shown in Fig. 5. During the measuring process, the tip was
automatically moved in contact with the surface of Inconel alloy
625 workpiece and the measurement feed rate was set to
2 mm/s. The finishing depth measuring procedure for Inconel
alloy 625 workpiece using a diameter tester (LSM-6200) is
shown in Fig. 6. LSM-6200 is a non-contact laser-based
measuring system, which is mainly used measuring the outer
diameter of material.
3. Results and discussion
3.1 Effects of workpiece rotational speed
To improve surface roughness Ry, ultra-precision magnetic
abrasive finishing was used, and experiments were conducted
at different workpiece rotational speeds (2000, 5000, and
Fig. 6. Finishing depth measuring procedure for Inconel alloy 625 work-
piece using LSM-6200.
12000 rpm) with an abrasive grain size of 1 μm and a work-
piece feed rate of 2000 mm/min for 10 min. The surface rough-
ness values of the workpieces were rapidly enhanced for 2 min,
and then they slowly improved (see Fig. 7(a)). The slope of the
12000 rpm condition shows the largest increase compared to
workpiece rotation speeds of 2000 and 5000 rpm. According to
these results, enhancement in surface roughness Ry increases
as workpiece rotational speed increases. The increase in
workpiece speed to 12000 rpm explains the increase in surface
roughness due to increased contact with the magnetic abrasive
tools. Moreover, when the rotational speed of the workpiece
increases up to 12000 rpm, the processing temperature also
increases. The increasing temperature can change the finish-
ing characteristics of the process, resulting in an improvement
in surface roughness. When the 12000 rpm condition was used,
the surface roughness Ry of the workpiece was enhanced from
2100 nm to 200 nm after 5 min. The finishing temperatures
before and after the ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing
process are shown in Fig. 8. To determine the finishing tem-
peratures at workpiece rotational speeds of 2000, 5000, and

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2500

2000 rpm
2000 5000 rpm
12000 rpm
1500

1000

500

0
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Processing time, T (min)
(a) Surface roughness (Ry)
4 Fig. 8. Finishing temperatures comparison using a thermal imager (TVS-
2 10 200EX; NEC Avio, Japan).
2000 rpm
4 5000 rpm
1.5 10 the unevenness from the surface of Inconel alloy 625.
12000 rpm
4
1 10 3.2 Effect of workpiece feed rate
The effects of workpiece feed rates on improvement in sur-
5000
face roughness of Inconel alloy 625 bars with an abrasive grain
size of 1 μm and a workpiece rotational speed of 12000 rpm for
0 10 min are shown in Fig. 9(a). The original surface roughness
Ry of the workpiece can be rapidly improved using different
-5000 workpiece feed rates (500, 1000, and 2000 mm/min). A signifi-
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 cant improvement in surface roughness was found at a feed
Processing time, T (min) rate of 2000 mm/min. The explanation for this is that the in-
(b) Finishing depth (FD) crease in feed rate of the workpiece to 2000 mm/min, the cut-
Fig. 7. Effect of workpiece rotational speed (2000, 5000, 12000 rpm). ting speed on the surface of the workpiece also increased,
enhancing surface roughness. At a feed rate of 500 mm/min,
the resultant surface finishing was inferior to workpiece feed
12000 rpm, a thermal imager (TVS-200EX; NEC Avio, Japan) rates of 2000 mm/min and 1000 mm/min. The surface rough-
was used. Before the finishing process, the finishing tempera- ness Ry values of Inconel alloy 625 bars after processing with
ture was 26.3 °C and during the finishing process, the finishing feed rates of 500, 1000, and 2000 mm/min were 200, 300, and
temperatures were 41.7 °C, 63.8 °C, and 158.5 °C by 2000 500 nm, respectively. The relationship between finishing depth
rpm, 5000 rpm, and 12000 rpm, respectively. At a rotation and processing time according to workpiece feed rate is shown
speed of 2000 rpm, the surface roughness Ry of the workpiece in Fig. 9(b).
was enhanced from 2100 nm to 400 nm. This enhancement in It was determined that the feed rate of the workpiece has a
surface roughness is less significant than those at 5000 and significant effect on enhancement of finishing depth. When the
12000 rpm conditions. The relationship between finishing depth feed rate increased, the cutting speed on the surface of Inconel
and processing time according to workpiece rotational speeds alloy 625 bars also increased, resulting in enhancing finishing
is shown in Fig. 7(b). It was determined that removal depth was depth. The finishing depths of Inconel alloy 625 bars after
also improved by the ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finish- processing with feed rates of 500, 1000, and 2000 mm/min
ing process. The 12000 rpm condition was the best, followed were 9670, 16770, and 17280 nm, respectively.
by 5000 rpm and 2000 rpm conditions. The finishing depths for
workpiece rotational speeds of 12000, 5000, and 2000 rpm
3.3 Effect of diamond abrasive particle grain
were 11880 nm, 14310 nm, and 17280 nm, respectively. Dur-
size
ing the finishing process at 12000 rpm, the finishing tempera-
tures was increased to 158.5 °C. Therefore, the overheated We determined the effect of diamond abrasive particle grain
white layer of the Inconel alloy 625 bar can be induced, result- size on the improvement in surface roughness of Inconel alloy
ing in the layer being softer than the base material. This reason 625 bars at a workpiece rotational speed of 12000 rpm and a
allowed the magnetic abrasive particles to successfully remove workpiece feed rate of 2000 mm/min for a processing time of

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 Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021 DOI 10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y

3000 3000
500 mm/min Dia 1-μm
2500 1000 mm/min 2500
Dia 6-μm
2000 mm/min Dia 15-μm
2000 2000

1500 1500

1000 1000

500 500

0 0
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Processing time, T (min) Processing time, T (min)
(a) Surface roughness (Ry) (a) Surface roughness (Ry)
4 4
2 10 1.2 10
500 mm/min 4 Dia 1-μm
1 10 Dia 6-μm
1.5 10
4 1000 mm/min
2000 mm/min Dia 15-μm
8000
4
1 10 6000

4000
5000
2000
0
0

-5000 -2000
-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Process time, T (min) Processing time, T (min)
(b) Finishing depth (FD) (b) Finishing depth (FD)

Fig. 9. Effect of workpiece feed rate (500, 1000, 2000 mm/min). Fig. 10. Effect of diamond abrasive grain size (1, 6, 15 μm).

10 min using different abrasive grain sizes (1, 6, and 15 μm).
These results are shown Fig. 10(a). It was determined that the
grain size of the abrasive particles had a significant effect on
enhancement of surface roughness Ry. The surface rough-
ness Ry values of Inconel alloy 625 after processing with 1, 6,
and 15 μm abrasive particles were 200, 500, and 800 nm, re-
spectively. The greatest enhancement in surface roughness
was obtained with 1 μm particles. Small abrasive grains can
lead to a better surface roughness than larger abrasive parti-
cles. The relationship between finishing depth and processing
time according to magnetic abrasive grain size is shown in Fig.
10(b).
It was determined that magnetic abrasive grain size has a
significant effect on enhancement of finishing depth. The finish-
ing depths of Inconel alloy 625 bars after processing with 1, 6,
and 15 μm abrasive grains were 11880, 8345, and 7190 nm,
respectively. The 1 μm grains were found to be the best, fol-
lowed by 6 and 15 μm grains. The finishing characteristics of
1 μm grains produce a greater finishing depth than the larger
grains.
AFM micro-images of Inconel alloy 625 bar surfaces before
and after the ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing proc-
ess at different workpiece rotational speeds (2000 rpm,
5000 rpm, and 12000 rpm) at a feed rate of 2000 mm/min and
1 µm diamond particles for a processing time of 2 min are
shown in Fig. 11. Before processing, the original surface
roughness Ry was 1700 nm, and many deep grooves and high
peaks were found throughout the surface of the Inconel alloy
625 bar (see Fig. 11(a)). Figs. 11(b) and (c) show the finished
surfaces of Inconel alloy 625 bars at rotational speeds of 2000
rpm and 5000 rpm, respectively. The deep grooves and high
peaks were removed by the ultra-precision magnetic abrasive
finishing process. However, small grooves and small peaks still
remain on the finished surface. The finished surface of the
Inconel alloy 625 bar with the 12000 rpm condition is shown in
Fig. 11(d). All of the grooves and peaks were completely re-
moved by the ultra-precision magnetic abrasive finishing proc-
ess. The finished surface with a rotational speed of 12000 rpm
is very smooth, with a value of surface roughness Ry of 200
nm. Images of the unfinished surface and finished surface of
Inconel alloy 625 bars are shown in Fig. 12. Fig. 12(b) shows
that the surface of the finished workpiece is brighter than that

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 Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021
(a) Before finishing Ry: 1700 nm
(b) After finishing Ry: 500 nm, 2000 rpm
(c) After finishing Ry: 300 nm, 5000 rpm
(d) After finishing Ry: 200 nm, 12000 rpm
Fig. 11. AFM surface images of the workpiece (2000, 5000, 12000 rpm).
(a) Unfinished surface Ry: 1700 nm
(b) Finished surface Ry: 200 nm, 12000 rpm, 2000 mm/min, 1 μm
Fig. 12. Images of the unfinished surface and finished surface.
of the unfinished workpiece in Fig. 12(a). The chemical compo-
sition of an Inconel alloy 625 bar before and after an ultra-
precision magnetic abrasive finishing are shown in Fig. 13.
DOI 10.1007/s12206-021-0608-y
(a)
(b)
Fig. 13. EDX analysis and compound comparison: (a) before finishing; (b)
after finishing.
Before finishing, the EDX test showed a surface composition of
C (8.39 %), Fe (1.30 %), Co (1.17 %), Ni (46.02 %), Al
(0.11 %), Si (0.01 %), Nb (3.01 %), Mo (8.42 %), Ti (0.77 %),
Cr (28.93 %), and Mn (1.87 %) for the Inconel alloy 625 bar.
After finishing, the EDX test showed a surface composition of
C (5.81 %), Fe (1.31 %), Co (1.29 %), Ni (48.71 %), Al
(0.10 %), Si (0.01 %), Nb (3.31 %), Mo (8.56 %), Ti (0.69 %),
Cr (29.12 %), and Mn (1.09 %). According to the EDX tests,
the chemical components of the Inconel alloy 625 bar did not
change after finishing. Thus, the chemical components of the
magnetic abrasive tools do not affect the finished surface of
Inconel alloy 625 bars.
4. Conclusion
In this research, we improved the surface accuracy and di-
mensional accuracy of Inconel alloy 625 bars using an ultra-
precision magnetic abrasive finishing process. The finishing
technique used flexible unbonded magnetic abrasive tools and
Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets, which were installed with a five-
dimensional computer numerical control machining center.
1) The surface roughness and finishing depth of Inconel alloy
625 bars were improved with workpiece rotational speed. The
best results were obtained at the highest rotation speed of
12000 rpm. This due to the fact that when the rotation speed of
workpiece was increase to 12000 rpm, the number of cutting
actions on workpiece was improved. This reason allowed the
magnetic abrasive particles to effectively remove the uneven-
ness more from the surface of workpiece, when compared the
other conditions. The accuracy of Inconel alloy 625 bar work-
pieces was improved feed rate. A rate of 2000 mm/min was
best, followed by 1000 and 500 mm/min. In this paper, three
different abrasive grain sizes (i.e., 1, 6, and 15 μm) were used
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 Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology 35 (7) 2021
to improve the accuracy of Inconel alloy 625 bars. An abrasive
grain size of 1 μm was best, followed by 6 and 15 μm. This can
be confirmed that the small abrasive grains can lead to a better
surface roughness than larger abrasive particles.
2) In this paper, the optimal conditions for accuracy of In-
conel alloy 625 bars consisted of a workpiece rotational speed
of 12000 rpm, a workpiece feed rate of 2000 mm/min, and a
diamond abrasive grain size of 1 μm for a 10 min process.
Surface roughness Ry of the Inconel alloy 625 bar was im-
proved from 2100 nm to 200 nm, and the finishing depth was
17280 nm after processing for 10 min.
3) According to the EDX test, the chemical components of
the Inconel alloy 625 bar did not change after finishing. Thus,
the chemical components of the magnetic abrasive tools did
not affect the finished surface of the Inconel alloy 625 bar.
4) According to these results, an ultra-precision magnetic
abrasive finishing method using a 5-D CNC machining center
can improve the surface accuracy and dimensional accuracy of
difficult-to-cut materials, such as Inconel alloy 625 bars.
5) In the future research, an ultra-precision magnetic abra-
sive finishing method using a 5-D CNC machining center will
apply to improve the surface accuracy and dimensional accu-
racy of the components of complicated shapes (i.e., concave
shape, and deformed cylindrical shape, etc.).
Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by the National Re-
search Foundation of Korea via a grant funded by the Korean
government (Project No: 2020R1F1A1061754).
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field, Applied Mechanics and Materials, 395-396 (2013) 985- Jung-Tak Bae is currently a Ph.D. stu-
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Handbook of Magnetic Materials, Elsevier (2018) 269-372.

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