Cryogenic machining of elastomers: a review

Elastomers have visco-elastic behavior and are widely used in general utility as well as sophisticated applications. Generally, elastomer components are produced by molding process. But it is not economical for complicated geometrical elastomeric components of small batch size. Hence, machining is an alternative method of the molding. However, high elasticity, low Young’s modulus and low thermal conductivity in addition to the difficulty of holding elastomer component hinder its machining. To address these challenges, in last two decades, cryogenic assisted milling/turning, cryogenic abrasive jet micromachining (CAJM), ultra-high-pressure water jet machining and low-power CO₂ laser cutting were reported and noticed that both machining parameters and cryogenic condition affect the quality of the end-product. The structure-property changes on the surface of elastomer due to cryogenic condition helps in improvement of cutting force, erosion rate, chip formation, surface morphology, and reduction in the abrasive particle embedding at the machined surface. In addition to this, cryogenic assisted machining is a safe environmental alternative approach and it reduces the possibility of abrasive contamination at the machined surface. Hence, this article makes a comprehensive review of developments in elastomer machining over the last two decades and discusses the pros and cons of the same.