Today, ultraprecision machining refers to the achievement of dimensional tolerances of the order of 10 nm and surface roughness of 1 nm. The dimensions of parts or elements of parts produced may be as small as 1 μm and the resolution and repeatability of the machines used are of the order of 10 nm. Note, that the accuracy targets for today's ultraprecision machining cannot be achieved by simple extension of conventional machining processes, but, also, new processes are required. In order to use ultraprecision machines in the nanometer regime, three-dimensional control of the position of the tool and the workpiece is necessary. This can be achieved with CNC ultraprecision machine systems, that can provide such control, and with the aid of new measuring methods as the scanning tunneling microscopy and the atomic force microscopy. Several cutting material removal processes, depending on the desired result, are suitable for ultraprecision machining, like drilling of microholes, milling of grooves, turning of mirror-like surfaces and micropins, whilst usually, ultraprecision turning is combined with other ultraprecision processes, such as grinding. Typical products of the above processes are miniaturized machine parts mirror-like surfaces or macro-components with ultraprecision finished smooth surfaces. Other processes are also used for performing ultraprecision cutting, like EDM, ECM, laser beam machining, ultrasonic machining, micro-punching and injection molding.

At this stage, the pioneering work of the Laboratory of Manufacturing Technology of the NTUA in this field may be acknowledged. The precision and ultraprecision cutting and grinding of metals, engineering ceramics and polymers, with the aim in mind of manufacturing high-technology industrial parts, constitutes the topic of a large European Union research project with cooperation between Hungary, Ukraine, France and Greece and of subsequent forthcoming research projects .

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Advancing now from the micrometer domain into the nanometer regime (fig2), it renders difficulties to use the ultraprecision processes discussed so far. For such products, new processes need to be employed.

Fig. 2. Size scale and examples of micro- and nanocomponents.

The techniques used for nanotechnology applications are the energy beam processes, based on the principle, that the energy carried on a beam can remove material by melting, vaporization or ablation. These processes have been developed during the last decade due to their application in the electronics industry and may be listed: photolithography, X-ray lithography, micro-EDM, electron beam machining, focused ion beam, laser beam machining, excimer and femtosecond lasers, scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy