INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRECISION ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING Vol. 14, No. 9, pp. 1507-1512 SEPTEMBER 2013 / 1507 © KSPE and Springer 2013 Application of Image Processing to Micro-milling Process for Surface Texturing Hendra Prima Syahputra 1 and Tae Jo Ko 1,# 1 School of Mechanical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 214-1, Dae-dong, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, 712-749 # Corresponding Author / E-mail: tjko@yu.ac.kr, TEL: +82-53-810-3836, FAX: +82-53-810-4627 KEYWORDS: Image processing, Micro-milling, Surface texturing Micro-milling is a well-known process for the micro-fabrication of miniature parts. Miniature parts are often used in the medical and biology fields. In these fields, surface texture plays an important role in enhancing tactile qualities, aesthetics, and functionality. Most of the surface textures in medical or biology applications are very complex and difficult to design on computer-aided design (CAD) software. In this study, we develop a rapid process to acquire complex texture data by using an image processing technique. A complex surface texture representing human skin is transferred to a metal surface. Several image processing step are used and pixel intensity based height mapping for a two-dimensional (2-D) image to a three-dimensional (3-D) surface is described. The surface texture is fabricated on aluminium using a micro-milling process. We describe a process in which polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is micro- molded to the fabricated surface texture to produce an artificial skin. Manuscript received: January 8, 2013 / Accepted: April 18, 2013 1. Introduction Miniature parts are required in a wide range of critical applications in the medical, aerospace, military and biology fields. Manufacturing processes continuously evolve to meet the size requirements necessary to produce miniature parts. In general, miniature parts ranging from a few micrometers to tens of millimeters are needed. This has led to the down-sizing of various conventional manufacturing processes into the micro-scale range, such as micro-turning, micro-milling and micro- molding. The development of micro-machining has been very rapid, driven by the need for high-precision fabrications processes for miniature parts. New types of actuators, sensors, and smart structures are being developed to accelerate research in the micro-manufacturing fields. New processes for micro-manufacturing have also emerged, such as three-dimensional (3-D) printing, projection-based lithography and laser machining. The ability to produce miniature parts with smooth surfaces is not enough in certain applications. Nowadays, surface textures must be fabricated on miniature parts. Some initial work on a micro-milling process for surface texturing was performed by Kobayashi and Shirai, 1 who fabricating a repetitive fabric pattern on a copper surface. Surface texturing as a means of enhancing tribological properties of mechanical components has been well known for many years. Micro-patterns and micro-structures on flat or curved surfaces are attracting increasing interest for research and industrial applications. There are many interesting applications for micro/meso-scale textures. Micro-structures (e.g., gratings) on optical surfaces change their refractive and diffractive properties. Arrayed dimples on contact surfaces under lubrication help to establish hydrodynamic pressure and NOMENCLATURE D = tool diameter (µm) V = surface speed (m/min) Π = 3.14159 N s = spindle speed (RPM) f m = feedrate (mm/min) ft = feed per tooth (mm) n = number of flutes X = length of 3-D surface data (Number of Pixel) Y = width of 3-D surface data (Number of Pixel) Z = height of 3-D surface data (Pixel Intensity) l = length of workpiece (mm) w = width of workpiece (mm) h = height of workpiece (mm) DOI: 10.1007/s12541-013-0203-y