Lapping for mirror-like finish on cylindrical inner and end surfaces using the lathe with linear motor

Lapping is an old traditional machining process that has been useful all along in the human history. Uniform surface finishing by manual hand lapping on cylindrical inner and end surfaces are very difficult. Additionally, the geometrical form accuracy and productivity are lower. In a previous study, the new lapping method for outer cylindrical surface using the lathe with linear motor has been reported. However, this method could not be applied directly for the cylindrical inner and end surfaces. Therefore, lapping for mirror-like finish on cylindrical inner and end surfaces using the lathe with linear motor is investigated. In this study, lapping tool was modified from previous study to be suited for the cylindrical inner and end surfaces. Then, lapping methods for inner and end surfaces were developed for uniform mirror-like finish. Surface roughness and geometrical form accuracy improvement were measured for both surfaces. The optimum conditions for high productivity and high quality mirror-like surfaces were investigated. It was concluded from the results that, the developed lapping system was able to process mirror-like surface on cylindrical inner and end surfaces. Moreover, the optimum conditions for the mirror-like surfaces were revealed experimentally.