Green machining of aluminium oxide ceramics

The primary objective of the machining sequence prior to ceramic sintering is to produce a contour similar to the finished shape and a surface rim zone free from damage so that it is only functional faces which need to be refinished. Although this strategy has been in industrial use in many applications, where green machining constitutes an important step in the production of the majority of ceramic parts, there is, however, considerable development potential with regard to the economic process. The reason for this is mainly that the available results are predominantly based on empirical research within companies. Furthermore, the machining behaviour of ceramic green bodies is greatly dependent on the respective company specific and extremely complex material characteristics.