Deterministic removal of atmospheric pressure plasma polishing based on the lucy–richardson algorithm

Atmospheric pressure plasma polishing is developed for the final finishing of high-performance ultra-smooth surfaces. The dwelling function model, based on fitting the removal profile, is essential to ensure profile accuracy, because the particle distribution of a plasma jet cannot be controlled precisely. The dwelling function model based on the Lucy–Richardson algorithm is introduced, specifically, for the deterministic removal in atmospheric plasma polishing process. Theoretical simulation is performed to reveal the impacting rules of dwelling point density and discrete point density on surface roughness. The results also indicate that the edge effect can be eliminated effectively by the virtual extension method, which is then confirmed experimentally. A repetitive processing experiment confirms that the profile error can be controlled within ±5 nm without iterations, and could be further reduced by process optimization. Practical machining of sinusoidal surface and flat surface provides powerful evidence for the validity of the deterministic removal model based on the Lucy–Richardson algorithm, and also verifies the possibility of error prediction and reduction.