Materials Science & Engineering

ATM Saphir 530 Dual Wheel Specimen Preparation System (Grinder/Polisher)

Prepared by:

J. Scanlon

Location:

Dow 2231

Hazards:

The following materials and equipment associated with this procedure present exposure or physical health hazards. Safety precautions are prudent and mandatory.

The Abrasive wheels spins at high speed and can be very dangerous. Pieces of the wheels or your samples may fly off the machine.



Controls:

Prior to performing this procedure, the following safety equipment must be accessible and ready for use: (e.g. chemical fume hood, biological safety cabinet, laminar flow hood, chemical spill kits)



Protective Equipment:

Prior to performing this procedure, the following personal protective equipment must be obtained and ready for use: (e.g. acid resistant gloves, safety eyewear, lab coat, chemical splash apron)

Safety glasses, long pants and closed toed shoes must be worn at all times.



Waste Disposal:

This procedure will result in the follow regulated waste which must be disposed of in compliance with environmental regulations.

 

Any scraps pieces should be removed from the machine. If it is metal it can go in the scrap metal bin.


Spill:

In the event that a hazardous material spills during this procedure, be prepared to execute the emergency procedure below.


Instructions:


 

 

OLD SOP:

 

Overview of ATM with labels

 

Overview of ATM Saphir 530 Dual Wheel Specimen Preparation System

 

 

  1. Turn on the Grinder/Polisher, located on the right corner of the back of the machine.
  2. Make sure that both of the water washes are turned off to start with
    • Both water nozzles turn on as well as both wheels
  3. Explanation of the control panel:
    Control Panel
  4. In between each grinding and polishing step, please thoroughly clean:
    • The samples
      • For grinding: rinse with water
      • For polishing: rinse with water, then a soapy cotton ball, then water, then ethanol
    • The wheel and surrounding area:
      • Use the water rinse and remove any excess debris with a paper towel.
    • The sample holder:
      • Use a paper towel
  5. There are two forms of sample holders, center and single sample pressure modes:
    • If 4 or less samples are to be ground/polished, then use the single sample holder
    • If 5 samples are to be ground/polished, then use the center mounted sample holder
  6. For grinding, the "SIC GRIND" profile will be used:

    SIC Grind View 1 SIC Grind View 2
  7. There are 4 grinding steps, 240, 320, 600 and 1200 grit SiC grinding paper, they can be found in:

    Grind Paper Drawer 1
    Grind Paper Drawer 2
    Inside Grinding Drawer
    The inside of each drawer looks like the above image
  8. There are 2 polishing steps. For the 3 micron step, the "DIAMOND POLISH" profile will be used:

    Polish View 1 Polish View 2
  9. The polishing cloths can be found in the drawers labeled as:

    Polish Drawer 1
    Polish Drawer 1
  10. The final step is the colloidal silica polish, use the "SILICA POLISH" profile:

    Silica Panel 1

    		 Silica Panel 2
    • Remember to have the water rinse running, but not on the cloth until the final 20 seconds of the run.
    • When finished, clean the cloth with running water and the provided squeegee.
  11. Remember to use only the grinding side only for grinding and the polishing side only for polishing. 
    Grind Side Polish Side
  12. Please keep the lids labeled for each machine for that machine only, these steps will help to minimize contamination
    inside lid
  13. Please remember to clean up before, during and after working with the machine. 
    • Place any grinding paper bags back in the appropriate drawer
    • Place the 3 micron and silica cloths on top of the automatic heads for them to dry

Equipment:


Last Revision:

Jul 22, 2009