Profile characteristics of biomachined copper

Biomachining is a machining process that uses microorganisms as the tool to remove metal from a workpiece. This is an alternative micromachining process that may have environmental advantages. This paper presents the biomachining processes of copper using bacteria of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, including bacterial culturing and workpiece preparation, and comparisons of profiles or cross-sectional forms of copper that are developed in the biomachining process for different parameters. To analyze the final result, a scanning electron micrograph and a noncontact 3-D microsurface profiler were used. This research revealed that the profile form of copper was u-shaped, close to a semicircular form. The dimensions of cutting depended on the machining time. The required dimension can be obtained by selecting an appropriate machining time.