This paper discusses the significance of the minimum thickness of cut (MTC) which is defined as the minimum undeformed thickness of chip removed from a work surface at a cutting edge under perfect performance of a metal cutting system. Following a brief look at the relation between MTC and the extreme machining accuracy attainable for a specific cutting condition, it is shown that a very fine chip with an undeformed thickness of the order of a nanometer can be obtained from experimental face turning of electroplated copper by a well-defined diamond tool. To understand the nanometric metal cutting process, a computer simulation using a n atomistic model is proposed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.